Erin Lucas Hamilton

Area of Emphasis

Erin Hamilton is a shareholder in Babst Calland’s Litigation Group. Ms. Hamilton specializes in commercial litigation and insurance coverage counseling and litigation. As part of her practice, she advises and represents businesses in the full spectrum of legal disputes and problems affecting business such as those involving commercial contracts, business torts, employment matters, environmental suits, product liability claims, corporate governance, fraud and various statutory based claims. Her experience spans a wide variety of industries, including (but not limited to) energy and natural resources, aviation, engineering, construction, manufacturing, technology, professional sports and financial services.

Ms. Hamilton’s practice involves litigating complex commercial disputes in all phases from initial pleadings through trial and appeal. Her clients also rely on her to provide legal counsel on best business practices, risk mitigation and legal and regulatory compliance as well as to trouble-shoot legal and business challenges as they arise on a day-to-day basis.

In addition, Ms. Hamilton has a significant specialty practice in the area of insurance coverage counseling and litigation. Specifically, she assists clients in analyzing and understanding their coverage rights and identifying/maximizing insurance coverage for commercial, business, personal and property claims, accidents, exposures and damages (including damages and personal injury resulting from catastrophic incidents). Ms. Hamilton frequently represents firm clients in litigation (including declaratory judgment, bad faith and professional negligence actions) against insurers and/or insurance brokers to secure coverage, rightful benefits and/or to assist in redressing client damages.

Background

Ms. Hamilton received her J.D. from Notre Dame Law School in 2004 and her B.S. in Business Administration from Carnegie Mellon University in 2001. Prior to joining Babst Calland, she worked for eight years at a highly regarded litigation boutique followed by more than 10 years in the litigation section of a national law firm.

Memberships and Affiliations

Ms. Hamilton is licensed to practice in Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia. She is also admitted to the United States Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and the United States District Courts for the Western and Eastern Districts of Pennsylvania, the District of North Dakota and the Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan.

Ms. Hamilton is a member of the Allegheny County Bar Association (ACBA) and currently serves as President-Elect of the ACBA and an elected governor on its Board of Governors. She has held several key leadership positions in the ACBA including the Chair of the Civil Litigation Section, the Chair of the Publications Committee, Chair of the Young Lawyer’s Division, and Editor-In-Chief of both the Pittsburgh Legal Journal and the Lawyers Journal.

In 2013, Ms. Hamilton was selected by The Legal Intelligencer as one of only 38 “Lawyers on the Fast Track” in Pennsylvania. She was selected to the 2012-2019 Pennsylvania Rising Stars lists and was the 2014 recipient of the Allegheny County Bar Association’s “Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year” and the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division “Star of the Quarter” Award. In addition, Ms. Hamilton is an Allegheny County Bar Foundation Visionary Fellow.

Publications/Presentations
  • Co-Author, “Home Field Advantage: EEOC to Prioritize American Workers,” The Legal Intelligencer, April 3, 2025.
  • Co-Author, “States Continue to Adopt the ‘Continuous-Trigger’ Theory of ‘Occurrence’ Under Commercial General Liability Insurance Policies,” Babst Calland Litigation Alert, November 15, 2023.
  • Moderator, “Gavel to Gavel: Updates from the Bench,” Allegheny County Bar Association Bench Bar Conference, June 16, 2023.
  • Organizer and Moderator, “Reflections from the Bench on the Fall 2021 Trial Term and Impacts on the Winter 2022 Trial Term” Allegheny County Bar Association Civil Litigation Section Winter CLE, December 2021.
  • Organizer and Moderator, “Taking an Appeal to the Pennsylvania Superior Court” Allegheny County Bar Association Civil Litigation Section Spring CLE, April 2019.
  • Organizer and Moderator, “Everything You Want to Know About the Civil Division But Are Afraid to Ask” CLE at 2017 Allegheny County Bar Association Bench Bar Conference.
  • Organizer and Moderator, “Settlement Strategies” Allegheny County Bar Association Civil Litigation Section Winter CLE, December 2015.
  • Organizer and Moderator, “Practicing Sports Law in the 21st Century” CLE at American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division Spring 2014 National Conference.
  • Organizer and Moderator, “Practicing in the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania” Allegheny County Bar Association Civil Litigation Section Lunch & Learn Series, January 2014.