May 6, 2024
Daniel R. Richey recently joined Babst Calland as a shareholder in the Corporate and Commercial and Emerging Technologies groups. Mr. Richey provides counsel across multiple industries, focusing on private equity, emerging technology, software, energy, fintech, life sciences, telecommunications and entertainment.
Mr. Richey represents investor groups, family offices, private equity and venture funds, independent sponsors and operating companies in a variety of complex corporate transactions, including financial and strategic mergers and acquisitions, early-stage venture investments, and platform formations, add-ons and roll-ups. He also negotiates public and private capital markets transactions, including private securities offerings and alternative equity financing, including PIPE and RDO investments and ATM and ADR facilities.
In compliance matters, Mr. Richey helps clients navigate federal, state and non-governmental regulatory regimes, including under SEC and FINRA rules, state securities regulations, and NYSE and Nasdaq exchange rules. Mr. Richey also advises public companies in proxy and fiduciary matters, has counseled not-for-profit business trade associations in governance and general corporate matters, and provides comprehensive outside general counsel services. He also regularly advises clients on data privacy and cybersecurity practices and policies.
Mr. Richey’s commercial practice includes software and SaaS licensing agreements, manufacturing, storage, distribution, wholesale, advertising and agency and other commercial service agreements and transactions, as well as restrictive covenants and consumer-facing terms of service, privacy and cybersecurity policies and clickthrough agreements.
Prior to joining Babst Calland, Mr. Richey was an associate with McGuireWoods LLP. He is a 2012 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.
April 29, 2024
Angela M. Harrod recently joined Babst Calland as an associate in the Construction and Litigation groups. Ms. Harrod has a broad range of experience representing corporate clients in matters including breach of contract, unfair trade practices, and complex litigation.
Ms. Harrod represents contractors, subcontractors, owners, developers, design professionals, and construction companies in a broad range of matters arising from complex construction and development projects. She has experience with Pennsylvania’s Mechanics’ Lien Law, and routinely prosecutes and defends lien claims. Ms. Harrod also represents clients in contractual and payment disputes.
April 2, 2024
Bryan M. Seigworth recently joined Babst Calland as a shareholder in the Corporate and Commercial and Emerging Technologies groups. Mr. Seigworth acts as outside general counsel for clients across multiple industries with a focus in the manufacturing, life sciences, and software as a service (SaaS).
Mr. Seigworth negotiates a broad array of commercial and real estate agreements on behalf of his clients and prepares agreements governing all aspects of the manufacturing relationship, including contract, toll, and private label manufacturing; build-to-print and design and spec fabrication; engineering and development services; exclusive relationships; vendor-managed inventory arrangements; teaming relationships and joint ventures; and independent representative services. He also advises clients on regulatory obligations governing their manufacturing activities, including under the FAR/DFARs, ITAR, and FDA cGMP regulations.
Mr. Seigworth assists life sciences clients in negotiating agreements for technology development, collaboration, licensing, and transfer; product and service co-promotion and marketing; consulting arrangements; investigator-initiated studies; turnkey offerings; product distribution; and reseller arrangements. He routinely advises clients with respect to HIPAA compliance and other data security and privacy obligations, as well as applicable healthcare regulations.
Mr. Seigworth also regularly negotiates agreements for software as a service (SaaS) offerings; software development, licensing, and transfer; professional services; and confidentiality obligations. He assists software providers in complying with their data privacy and security obligations, including under US and EU data privacy laws.
In addition to his commercial and regulatory practice, Mr. Seigworth advises clients in connection with their acquisition and sale of businesses and product lines. Before focusing his practice on commercial and corporate transactions, Mr. Seigworth was a commercial and intellectual property litigator. He also relies on his in-house counsel experience when helping clients operationalize strategies designed to mitigate commercial and regulatory risk.
Prior to joining Babst Calland, Mr. Seigworth was the founder of Seigworth Law Group. He is a 2004 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.
March 18, 2024
Kristen L. Petrina recently joined Babst Calland as an associate in the Corporate and Commercial and Emerging Technologies groups. Ms. Petrina represents domestic and international clients on a broad range of general corporate and commercial law matters, including recapitalizations, restructuring, mergers and acquisitions, commercial lending, commercial contracts, entity formation, corporate governance, and corporate exit and succession planning.
Prior to joining Babst Calland, Ms. Petrina was an associate of Dentons Cohen & Grigsby. She is a 2022 graduate of Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University.
March 14, 2024
Babst Calland Attorney Casey Alan Coyle was selected by The Legal Intelligencer as a “2024 Lawyer on the Fast Track, Small/Midsize Winner” in Pennsylvania.
After reviewing the results of nominations for the annual The Legal Intelligencer awards, a judging panel composed of evaluators from all corners of the legal profession and the state selected 13 attorneys as the 2024 Lawyers on the Fast Track, Small/Midsize Winners. This recognition is only given to attorneys under the age of 40 who have demonstrated excellence in four categories: development of the law; advocacy and community contributions; service to the bar; and peer and public recognition.
Mr. Coyle is a shareholder and co-chair of the Firm’s Litigation Group. He is also the Managing Shareholder of the Firm’s Harrisburg Office. He concentrates his practice on appellate law and complex commercial litigation. He frequently represents clients in state and federal appellate courts, with a particular emphasis on appeals before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Over his career, he has represented either a party or an amicus curiae in 15 appeals before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Mr. Coyle has also successfully petitioned the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to grant review of an appeal—commonly known as “allocatur”—on six different occasions. In addition, he has presented oral argument before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, Pennsylvania Supreme Court, Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court, and Pennsylvania Superior Court.
January 30, 2024
Babst Calland is pleased to announce that we have earned a place on the U.S. News & World Report’s 2024 Best Companies to Work: Law Firms list.
Guided by a panel of experts, the U.S. News’ 2024 Best Companies to Work For: Law Firms list analyzes how individual firms meet the needs and expectations of their employees compared to their competitors. Similar to the Best Companies to Work For methodology, the Law Firms list considers six factors that are important to employee well-being and job satisfaction: quality of pay and benefits, work-life balance and flexibility, job and company stability, physical and psychological comfort, belongingness and esteem, and career opportunities and professional development.
Babst Calland is among the 344 U.S. law firms with the highest composite scores on the six factors to be recognized by U.S. News as “Best” employers. To view the listing, click here.
January 2, 2024
Babst Calland recently named Gina Falaschi Buchman, Timothy S. Bytner and Carla M. Castello shareholders in the Firm.
Gina Falaschi Buchman focuses her practice on environmental regulatory matters arising under the Clean Air Act. Ms. Buchman provides advice to clients in the energy, transportation, and technology sectors regarding compliance with state and federal environmental regulations. She has assisted companies with disclosure of regulatory violations to state and federal agencies and has counseled clients in negotiations with the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. EPA, and California Air Resources Board. In addition to counseling on compliance issues, Ms. Buchman has worked with technology and energy companies in developing new projects and has advised clients on regulatory issues arising from joint ventures, mergers, and acquisitions. She has also advised clients regarding aftermarket parts and vehicle tampering enforcement. Ms. Buchman has litigated cases in federal court, represented clients in administrative cases before various federal agencies, and has experience with administrative rule challenges before the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and Third Circuit. Ms. Buchman is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia, California, U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California. Ms. Buchman has litigated cases in federal court, represented clients in administrative cases before various federal agencies, and has experience with administrative rule challenges before the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and Third Circuit. Ms. Buchman earned her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and her A.B. from Georgetown University.
Timothy Bytner focuses his practice primarily on federal and state environmental regulation and litigation. A significant portion of his practice is spent advising clients on matters involving the remediation and reuse of contaminated properties under both state and federal jurisdiction, including counseling clients on Pennsylvania’s Act 2 Land Recycling and Environmental Remediation Standards Act. He has counseled clients on a variety of matters involving storage tank jurisdictional issues and compliance under Pennsylvania’s Storage Tank Program. Mr. Bytner has also counseled clients in environmental compliance issues involving the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, RCRA, EPCRA, CERCLA, and a wide variety of state regulatory issues. He regularly handles wetlands, stream encroachment, and stormwater issues associated with site development. In addition, Mr. Bytner has experience in matters involving environmental emergency response and the Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure Rule, the Facility Response Rule, and various state planning requirements. Mr. Bytner is a member of the Allegheny County, Pennsylvania and American Bar associations. Mr. Bytner received his J.D. from the Duquesne University School of Law, and a B.S. in Biology from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown.
Carla Castello has a broad range of litigation experience in several practice areas including commercial, labor and employment, consumer protection, antitrust, energy, and toxic tort. Her experience includes assisting corporate clients in defending a variety of matters, including environmental and toxic tort disputes, commercial contract disputes regarding the manufacture, design, installation and testing of large industrial equipment, and conflicts between shareholders in closely-held businesses. Ms. Castello has experience in all stages of litigation, including complex commercial and class action litigation involving extensive electronic and foreign language discovery. She has represented clients in various federal and state courts and before single and three-judge arbitration panels. Ms. Castello is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia and Virginia, as well as before the United States District Courts for the Eastern District of Virginia, the Western District of Virginia, and the Western District of Pennsylvania and the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. She is a member of the Allegheny County, Virginia, District of Columbia, and American Bar associations. Ms. Castello graduated from the University of Maryland with a B.A. in Economics and received her J.D. from the George Washington University Law School.
January 2, 2024
Charles F. (Chad) Wall IV recently joined Babst Calland as an associate in the Corporate and Commercial Group. Mr. Wall’s practice focuses primarily on corporate and transactional matters, including mergers and acquisitions, venture capital and private equity investments, corporate governance, and commercial contracts.
Prior to joining Babst Calland, Mr. Wall was an associate with Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP. He is a 2021 graduate of University of Virginia School of Law.
December 1, 2023
Babst Calland sponsored the Pittsburgh Smart 50 Awards event recognizing the top executives of the smartest companies in the Greater Pittsburgh region for their ability to effectively build and lead successful organizations.
Babst Calland Attorney Susanna Bagdasarova introduced a group of the Smart 50 honorees and the Sustainability award.
Babst Calland Attorney Justine Kasznica was a Smart 50 honoree and won the Impact award for the Keystone Space Collaborative.
November 20, 2023
Babst Calland Attorney Tiffany Arbaugh has been elected as President for the Women’s Energy Network West Virginia for 2024.
November 6, 2023
Abigail M. Reecer recently joined Babst Calland as an associate in the Energy and Natural Resources Group and Pipeline and HazMat Safety Practice. Ms. Reecer represents client in pipeline safety matters before the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), state agencies, and federal courts.
Prior to joining Babst Calland, Ms. Reecer was an associate with Hollingsworth LLP. She is a 2021 graduate of Georgetown University Law Center.
November 2, 2023
Babst Calland has been recognized in the 2024 edition of Best Law Firms®, ranked by Best Lawyers®, nationally in 8 practice areas and regionally in 31 practice areas:
- National Tier 1
- Environmental Law
- Litigation – Environmental
- National Tier 2
- Land Use & Zoning Law
- Natural Resources Law
- Oil & Gas Law
- National Tier 3
- Energy Law
- Litigation – Construction
- Mining Law
- Regional Tier 1
- Pittsburgh
- Bet-the-Company Litigation
- Commercial Litigation
- Construction Law
- Corporate Law
- Energy Law
- Environmental Law
- Information Technology Law
- Land Use & Zoning Law
- Litigation – Construction
- Litigation – Environmental
- Litigation – Land Use & Zoning
- Municipal Law
- Natural Resources Law
- Water Law
- Charleston-WV
- Commercial Litigation
- Energy Law
- Environmental Law
- Litigation – Environmental
- Oil & Gas Law
- Regional Tier 2
- Pittsburgh
- Admiralty & Maritime Law
- Labor Law – Management
- Charleston-WV
- Mining Law
- Natural Resources Law
- Washington, D.C.
- Energy Law
- Environmental Law
- Litigation – Environmental
- Oil & Gas Law
- Regional Tier 3
- Pittsburgh
- Mergers & Acquisitions Law
- Charleston-WV
- Bet-the-Company Litigation
- Litigation – ERISA
- Real Estate Law
Firms included in the 2024 Best Law Firms® list are recognized for professional excellence with persistently impressive ratings from clients and peers. To be considered for this milestone achievement, at least one lawyer in the law firm must be recognized in the 2024 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®.
Achieving a tiered ranking in Best Law Firms® on a national and/or metropolitan scale signals a unique credibility within the industry. The transparent, collaborative research process employs qualitative and quantitative data from peer and client reviews that is supported by proprietary algorithmic technology to produce a tiered system of industry-led rankings of the top 4% of the industry.
Receiving a tier designation represents an elite status, integrity and reputation that law firms earn among other leading firms and lawyers. The 2024 edition of Best Law Firms® includes rankings in 75 national practice areas and 127 metropolitan-based practice areas. Additionally, one “Law Firm of the Year” was named in each nationally ranked practice area.
Click here to view Babst Calland’s profile.
November 1, 2023
Babst Calland today announced the opening of its office in Harrisburg, Pa., and the addition of two experienced litigation attorneys, Michael Libuser and Stefanie Pitcavage Mekilo.
Led by Shareholder Casey Alan Coyle, who joined the firm in August 2022, the Harrisburg office provides legal counsel for local, regional, and national businesses, industry sectors, and trade associations with focused practices in litigation, energy and natural resources, environmental, and legislative and regulatory affairs, among others.
The Harrisburg team of attorneys offers deep litigation experience in matters pending before state and federal appellate courts, with a particular emphasis on appeals before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. They also represent clients in disputes pending before the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania and state trial courts throughout Central Pennsylvania and matters brought before the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court as part of its original jurisdiction.
“It is an exciting time for Michael and Stefanie to join Babst Calland and open a new office in Harrisburg,” said Mr. Coyle. “The Harrisburg office is uniquely poised to offer its clients the best of both worlds—pairing the service and pricing of a litigation boutique with the deep-bench expertise and resources of a law firm with more than 35 years of experience serving clients ranging from Fortune 100 companies to small and mid-sized businesses nationwide.”
Mr. Libuser represents clients in state and federal trial and appellate courts, with a particular emphasis on cases before the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. He served as a law clerk to the Honorable Yvette Kane, Senior United States District Judge for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, where he drafted opinions for the Third and Ninth Circuit Courts of Appeals and handled a wide range of district court matters involving complex civil litigation, commercial contracts, administrative law, trade secrets, and various statutory claims. Before that, he served as a law clerk to the Honorable Karoline Mehalchick, Chief United States Magistrate Judge for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, and previously served as the Principal Law Clerk to the Honorable Jeanette Rodriguez-Morick, an Acting Supreme Court Justice and Judge of the New York State Court of Claims.
Mr. Libuser earned his J.D. from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in 2012. He graduated with honors from Stony Brook University in 2006.
Ms. Mekilo is a civil litigator who concentrates her practice in state and federal trial courts, with particular emphasis on cases before the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Ms. Mekilo draws on more than a decade of trial-court experience in the federal judiciary to guide clients through all aspects of the litigation process. She focuses her practice on complex commercial disputes involving theft of trade secrets; breach of noncompete and nonsolicitation agreements and other restrictive covenants; breach of fiduciary duties, tortious interference, and related business tort claims; labor and employment; and emergency injunction litigation. Ms. Mekilo also has experience in antitrust, environmental, securities, trademark infringement, product liability, class action, and multidistrict litigation. Prior to joining Babst Calland, Ms. Mekilo served as a judicial law clerk in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania for 12 years—first as a term law clerk to Judge John E. Jones III, then as the managing law clerk to Judge Christopher C. Conner.
Ms. Mekilo received her J.D. from Widener University Commonwealth Law School in 2011, graduating summa cum laude at the top of her class. She earned her B.A. in Business Administration from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania in 2008. Ms. Mekilo is an active member of the greater Harrisburg community. She currently serves as Secretary of the Middle District Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, as well as Vice President and President-Elect of the Junior Board of the YWCA of Greater Harrisburg.
Commenting on these moves and the opening of the Harrisburg office, Managing Shareholder Donald C. Bluedorn II said, “We are very pleased to welcome this fine team of attorneys to Babst Calland and are thrilled to open a new office in Harrisburg to work collaboratively across our other offices to serve the needs of existing and new clients in the region.”
October 10, 2023
Former transportation executive and veteran regulatory and environmental attorney, James C. Chen, has joined Babst Calland as a Shareholder in the Emerging Technologies practice in the law firm’s growing Washington, D.C. office.
Mr. Chen brings his deep experience in strategic planning and managing legal, policy and regulatory affairs for public and private companies with a focus on emerging technologies in the transportation sector, particularly electrification and sustainable energy.
“A revolution is occurring in the transportation and energy industries – from how we generate and store energy to power various modes of transportation to how those modes are operated with autonomous and artificial intelligence systems to the way we source, process and recycle the minerals needed to enable those modes,” said Mr. Chen. “Moreover, the challenge facing this revolution is not just figuring out how to best power new transportation technology, it’s also about how to best operate the factories that manufacture them.”
For the past decade, in his executive leadership roles for several new transportation technology companies, Mr. Chen was instrumental in the commercialization of modern electric vehicles and the way they are distributed and sold. Most recently, he was Vice President of Public Policy & Chief Regulatory Counsel for Rivian Automotive, LLC and previously, was Vice President of Regulatory Affairs & Deputy General Counsel at Tesla, Inc.
“We are delighted that Jim Chen is now a part of our firm and our Washington, D.C. office,” said Babst Calland Managing Shareholder Donald C. Bluedorn II. “Jim is a great person, and he has an outstanding reputation and track record as a leader in the electric transportation and sustainable energy space. His industry experience and focused approach to providing strategic and creative solutions utilizing new technologies will be a tremendous resource for our clients.”
In addition to managing his own private practice, Mr. Chen previously held other corporate executive positions and was a prominent Washington D.C. attorney in environmental and natural resources law for two different law firms. During his private firm sector tenure of nearly 15 years, he represented a number of established automobile and truck manufacturers, as well as various industry suppliers on environmental and safety regulatory and policy issues affecting the transportation sector. He started his career as an attorney-advisor in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Regulatory Enforcement.
James Chen is admitted to practice in New York and the District of Columbia. He earned his Juris Doctorate from Case Western University and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the State University of New York at Buffalo.
October 2, 2023
Christopher S. Etheredge recently joined Babst Calland as an associate in the Litigation Group. Mr. Etheredge has a wealth of experience representing clients in a wide variety of high-stakes litigation and appellate matters involving state and local governments, elected and appointed government officials, complex energy and business litigation, class actions, product and premises liability, medical malpractice, and criminal defense. Recently, he served as counsel to the West Virginia House of Delegates during consecutive legislative sessions, where he drafted and presented legislation to the House Committees on Judiciary, Government Organization, Workforce Development, and Technology and Infrastructure, and regularly counseled House leadership during floor sessions.
Prior to joining Babst Calland, Mr. Etheredge was an associate with Steptoe & Johnson PLLC. He is a 2020 graduate of Washington and Lee University School of Law.