Environmental Attorney Lisa Bruderly will present “The Newly Finalized WOTUS Definition and How it Will Affect Your Operations” to members of the Energy & Mineral Law Foundation (EMLF) on Thursday, September 21, 2023. The U. S. Supreme Court’s Sackett v. U.S. EPA decision, issued in May 2023, significantly narrowed the definition of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) and limited the scope of federally-regulated waters and wetlands. A new regulatory definition of WOTUS, based on Sackett, became final on September 8th. During this webinar, Lisa will discuss the Sackett decision, the new regulatory definition of WOTUS, and how these developments will impact the construction of new facilities and operation/maintenance of existing facilities. She will also explore the status of existing challenges to the prior definition of WOTUS and new challenges to the most recently-finalized definition. For more information, click here.
Litigation Attorney Katrina Bowers will co-present “Devil’s Advocate: Crossing the Line of Zealous Advocacy” at EMLF’s 44th Annual Institute on Monday. June 19, 2023. As zealous advocates, attorneys dance on the blade of aggressive advocacy and persuasion. This presentation will explore this delicate dance through the lens of real-life examples. For more information, click here.
Attorney Lisa Bruderly will present “WOTUS Rulemaking and Status” during the West Virginia Coal Association’s 49th Annual Mining Symposium on Wednesday, April 19, 2023. For more information, click here.
On March 21, 2023, Babst Calland’s Women’s Initiative hosted a panel discussion on “What Makes a Great Outside Counsel?” Alana Fortna, Vice President, Counsel, Environmental at Paramount Global Department, Emilie Delo, Assistant General Counsel at SAE International, and Brandy Erbelding, Counsel at City Line Capital, offered their perspectives and shared advice with Babst Calland’s women attorneys regarding the qualities that make certain outside counsel stand out above the rest.
Our Women’s Initiative Committee is very grateful to our panelists, our moderator, Alex Farone, and all who attended this exciting panel discussion.
In photo: (L-R) Alex Farone, Brandy Erbelding, Emilie Delo, Alana Fortna, Carla Castello and Christina Manfredi McKinley
Attorney Jean Mosites will be a panelist for “Water Disposal” during PIOGA’s Spring Meeting on Thursday, March 23, 2023. For more information, click here.
Attorney Betsy Dupuis will present a “Land Use/Zoning Law Update” at PBI’s 2023 Environmental Law Forum on Wednesday, March 15, 2023. For more information, click here.
Justine Kasznica will be a panelist on the Small Business Presentation panel to speak from her role as a lawyer who helps space and other technology businesses/individuals designed soon-to-
be proprietary information operate in the tech transfer space, especially individuals and companies in the early stages of idea development moving out of their lab and into the commercial realm.
Babst Calland joins the Brownfield Coalition of the Northeast (BCONE) for its annual Northeast Sustainable Communities Workshop (NSCW), September 13-14, 2022. NSCW takes a regional, cross-industry approach to redevelopment that allows brownfield, environmental, and sustainability professionals to come together and get unique insights and perspectives on key regional issues, up-to-date strategies and emerging solutions for more successful remediation, resilience and sustainable projects.
Attorney Mackenzie Moyer will be a co-panelist for the “PFAS at Brownfield Sites Session (3C).” For more information, click here.
Last week, the Babst Calland Women’s Initiative and the Firm’s D/E/I Committee kicked off a joint CLE series covering diversity, equity, and inclusion topics. The series will feature multiple sessions throughout 2022 and 2023, starting with the first session on June 29, 2022 titled D/E/I Basics: What is DEI and why does it matter? The first presentation and discussion was led by Kellie Ware, the Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, for the Allegheny County Bar Association, and future sessions in the series will build upon this foundation to address a variety of D/E/I topics and issues relevant to the legal industry.
As the Firm returns from remote operations across our offices, Babst Calland’s Women’s Initiative has taken the opportunity to refresh its committee objectives and to focus on opportunities to allow its women attorneys to reconnect with their colleagues. The Initiative was formed by former Babst shareholder Molly Meacham and the Initiative’s current chair, Carla Castello, and continues to grow in membership as the Firm expands.
The Women’s Initiative Committee’s first task of 2022 was to develop new pairings for its existing mentoring circles. Each mentoring circle includes 6-7 attorneys across the Firm’s practice groups and offices. The circles serve several important goals. Most importantly, they allow women attorneys from different practice groups to connect for advice and support, and to identify synergies to enhance each attorney’s practice and create integrated teams to serve our clients’ varying legal needs.
The Committee, led by Castello, also spearheaded efforts to apply for membership in the Allegheny County Bar Association’s ALLY Initiative. (ALLY: Attorneys, Learning as allies, Living as allies, and Yielding results.) The ALLY Initiative endeavors to engage law firms and other legal organizations to create more inclusive and equitable workplaces by participation in various key programs and projects targeting those objectives. Babst Calland was accepted as a member of the first ALLY Initiative class, and Castello, along with managing partner Don Bluedorn and Committee member Jessica Altobelli attended the ALLY Initiative’s Inaugural Event at the August Wilson center on March 15th. The Women’s Initiative Committee will work with Babst Calland’s DEI Committee to implement the ALLY Initiative’s goals.
The Women’s Initiative’s next undertaking in 2022 will be a Lunch & Learn panel in early April for the Firm’s women attorneys. The panel, moderated by shareholder Christina McKinley, consists of shareholders Lisa Bruderly, Kathy Condo, Jean Mosites, and Marnie Schock. The panelists will provide their perspective and insight on various topics, including professional and business development, tips and tricks, and lessons learned throughout their careers.
Attorneys Kathy Condo and Carla Castello will present a CLE program on “Class Action Lawsuits – The Basics” on Thursday, March 24, 2022. Class action litigation arises in various contexts, including environmental contamination, consumer protection, antitrust, product liability, pharmaceutical drugs, civil rights, data breaches, and workers’ rights. Given the liability exposure in class action cases, obtaining (or defeating) class certification is viewed as a critical milestone. This course is designed to provide a brief overview of class action litigation and the requirements for class certification under federal and Pennsylvania law, and provide case studies from our practice applying those certification requirements in ongoing litigation.
Kathy Condo
Carla Castello