Babst Calland Women’s Initiative held its spring Lunch & Learn Panel, featuring four of the Firm’s shareholders—Lisa Bruderly, Kathy Condo, Jean Mosites, and Marnie Schock. The firm’s newest shareholder, Christina Manfredi McKinley, moderated the discussion, asking the panel to speak on issues relevant to women in the profession. The panelists shared advice and stories on topics including retention and recruitment of women attorneys, work-life balance, and business development. Advice on each topic varied based upon each panelist’s respective experience and practice area, with panelists representing the Firm’s litigation, environmental, and corporate and commercial practice groups. The Committee is grateful to our panelists, our moderator, and all who attended the Women’s Initiative’s first in-person event of 2022.
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
Babst Calland, through its Women’s Initiative, is pleased to announce the Firm’s participation in the Allegheny County Bar Association’s ALLY Initiative Cohort. ALLY stands for “Attorneys, Learning as allies, Living as allies, and Yielding results.” The Initiative is designed to engage attorneys and their law firms, corporate legal departments, courts and other organizations to commit to increasing inclusivity, creating equitable workplaces and empowering historically marginalized and underrepresented community members.
The Initiative, which will run from March 15 through October 2022, will offer programing and other projects, which will then allow firms and legal departments to earn an official “ACBA ALLY Certification.”
To read more, click here.
Ember K. Holmes and Audra E. Hutter recently joined Babst Calland as associates in the Corporate and Commercial Group.
Ember Holmes focuses primarily on corporate and transactional matters, including commercial contracts, corporate structuring, mergers and acquisitions, and copyright and trademark issues. Prior to joining Babst Calland, she was an associate with Dickie, McCamey & Chilcote, P.C. Ms. Holmes is a 2018 graduate of the University at Buffalo School of Law.
Audra Hutter focuses primarily on corporate and transactional matters, including commercial contracts, corporate structuring, mergers and acquisitions. Prior to joining Babst Calland, she was an associate with Leech Tishman Fuscaldo & Lampl, LLC. Ms. Hutter is a 2019 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.
Ember Holmes
Audra Hutter
Christina Manfredi McKinley recently joined Babst Calland as a shareholder in the Litigation, Energy and Natural Resources, and Environmental groups.
Ms. McKinley provides business-oriented solutions to her clients and routinely serves as a general advisor, counseling clients on day-to-day legal and business matters on any number of issues. Her business-focused, proactive approach to problem-solving allows her to provide solutions to clients in a variety of industries, including manufacturing, retail, energy, chemicals, and environmental.
As a litigator who focuses on complex commercial matters, Ms. McKinley’s trial practice encompasses all phases of litigation, from early alternative dispute resolution through post-trial motions. She has concentrated experience in complex purchase agreement and commercial contracts disputes, protection of competitive interests (e.g., Lanham Act, unfair competition, tortious interference, trade secret protection, restrictive covenants), technology disputes (e.g., software services and license agreements), and director and officer defense.
An experienced appellate litigator, Ms. McKinley has practiced before the United States Supreme Court at every stage of the process, including the briefing and preparation of two merits cases that were argued before the Court. She also has briefed and prepared cases for argument before the United States Courts of Appeals for the Second, Third, Sixth, and D.C. Circuits, and she has argued numerous cases before the Pennsylvania intermediate appellate court.
Prior to joining Babst Calland, Ms. McKinley was a shareholder with Dentons Cohen & Grigsby. She is a graduate of The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law.
Law firm Babst Calland recently named Katrina N. Bowers a shareholder in the Firm.
Katrina Bowers is a member of the Corporate and Commercial, Litigation, and Energy and Natural Resources groups. Ms. Bowers currently serves as General Counsel to the West Virginia International Yeager Airport, and as general counsel and advisor to airports in West Virginia, on day-to-day legal and business matters, such as compliance with West Virginia and federal law, employment and litigation matters, corporate governance, and contract negotiations.
Ms. Bowers’ practice also includes representing oil and gas companies in litigation concerning a variety of matters including trespass, negligence, property damage, royalty payments, toxic torts, title disputes, breach of contract, preliminary and permanent injunctions, and fraud as well as advising them regarding proposed, pending, and enacted safety, health, and environmental regulations. Ms. Bowers has also represented coal operators in cases alleging adverse treatment, deliberate intent, and wrongful termination. Further, she has represented clients against civil penalties and violations issued by the Mine Safety and Health Administration and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Ms. Bowers is a 2013 graduate of West Virginia University College of Law.
Babst Calland recently named Mary H. Binker and Jennifer L. Malik shareholders in the Firm.
Mary Binker is a member of the Corporate and Commercial, Energy and Natural Resources, and Real Estate groups. Her practice focuses primarily on corporate and transactional matters, including negotiation of commercial contracts and real estate transactions. Ms. Binker advises businesses of various sizes and complexity, in a broad range of industries including chemical, energy and real estate development, in their corporate contracting needs. She counsels clients on their day-to-day contracting needs such as procurement and service agreements. Ms. Binker also has experience assisting real estate clients in acquisitions, leasing, and management agreements. She is a 2010 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.
Jenn Malik is a member of the Public Sector and Energy and Natural Resources groups. Ms. Malik’s practice focuses primarily on municipal and land use law, with an emphasis on zoning, subdivision and land development, and municipal ordinance construction and enforcement. She represents the Firm’s municipal clients on a wide array of local government issues, including developing and implementing zoning and land development ordinances, reviewing and overseeing the processing of Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code applications, such as applications for conditional uses and special exceptions, analyzing and responding to Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law record requests, navigating public bidding procedures, assisting to identify and enforce property maintenance and zoning violations, and counseling clients to ensure compliance with both the Pennsylvania Sunshine Act and the Pennsylvania Public Official and Employee Ethics Act. Additionally, Ms. Malik represents corporations, and businesses before local governing bodies, zoning hearing boards, planning commissions and private landowners. In doing so, Ms. Malik assists private-sector clients in analyzing municipal zoning ordinances, obtaining land development approvals, filing Right-to-Know Law requests, defending against Notices of Violation, challenging the procedural and substantive validity of municipal zoning ordinances, and appealing the issuance or denial of local permits. She is a 2011 graduate of the University of Houston Law Center.
The Legal Intelligencer and Martindale-Hubbell®, the company that has long set the standard for lawyer ratings, have announced the Pennsylvania Top Rated Lawyers®. To view the list of Babst Calland lawyers, including Kathy Condo, Marcia Grimes and Jean Mosites, who have achieved an AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rating, click here.
Jessica L. Altobelli recently joined Babst Calland as an associate in the Litigation and Employment and Labor groups. Ms. Altobelli has a broad range of litigation experience in several practice areas including employment, general liability, transportation, and school district defense. As part of her employment practice, she regularly defends employers in state and federal court litigation and administrative proceedings arising out of all aspects of the employment relationship.
Prior to joining Babst Calland, Ms. Altobelli was an associate with Lewis Brisbois. She is a 2016 graduate of Duquesne University School of Law.
Jessica M. Barnes, Mackenzie M. Moyer and Christina M. Puhnaty recently joined Babst Calland’s Pittsburgh, Pa. office as associates.
Ms. Barnes, a 2021 graduate of Duquesne University Law School, joins the Litigation Group. She practices in a variety of litigation practice areas, including commercial, employment and labor, land use, and energy and natural resources.
Ms. Moyer, a 2021 graduate of Penn State Law, joins the Environmental Group. She assists clients with matters encompassing a broad range of environmental issues, including those related to state and federal permitting and regulatory compliance.
Ms. Puhnaty, a 2021 graduate of the University of Wisconsin Law School, joins the Environmental Group. She assists clients with matters encompassing a broad range of environmental issues, including those related to state and federal permitting, regulatory compliance, and environmental litigation.
Jessica Barnes
Mackenzie Moyer
Christina Puhnaty
Babst Calland is pleased to announce that the following Babst Calland women lawyers were selected for inclusion in the 2022 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America (by BL Rankings), the most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession:
- Kathy K. Condo – Commercial Litigation
- Julie R. Domike – Environmental Law, Litigation – Environmental
- Janet L. McQuaid – Environmental Law
- Jean M. Mosites – Environmental Law
- Krista-Ann M. Staley – Land Use and Zoning Law
- Laura Stone – Corporate Law
Babst Calland women lawyers were also named to the 2022 Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch list which recognizes associates and other lawyers who are earlier in their careers for their outstanding professional excellence in private practice in the United States:
- Mary H. Binker – Corporate Law and Real Estate Law
- Katrina N. Bowers – Energy Law and Environmental Law
- Carla M. Castello – Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Labor and Employment and Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants
- Marissa A. Cocciolone – Energy Law
- Alyssa Golfieri – Land Use and Zoning Law and Municipal Law
- Jennifer L. Malik – Land Use and Zoning Law
Best Lawyers undergoes an authentication process, and inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America is based solely on peer review and is divided by geographic region and practice areas. The list has published for more than three decades, earning the respect of the profession, the media, and the public as the most reliable, unbiased source of legal referrals. Its first international list was published in 2006 and since then has grown to provide lists in over 65 countries.
Led by Carla Castello, the Babst Calland Women’s Initiative Committee recently packed 200 Weekend Food Bags for the United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania. The Bags will be distributed by the United Way to students in need.
Kelly R. Vehec recently joined Babst Calland as senior counsel in the Corporate and Commercial Group. Ms. Vehec’s practice focuses primarily on mergers and acquisitions, drafting commercial transaction agreements, finance and general corporate matters. Her experience includes drafting, reviewing, and negotiating a wide variety of commercial contracts, including asset purchase agreements, stock purchase agreements, equipment leases, service agreements, confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements, as well as letters of intent and corporate resolutions. Ms. Vehec is a 1993 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh Law School.
Attorney Aimee V. Scott recently rejoined law firm Babst Calland as senior counsel in the Energy & Natural Resources and Corporate & Commercial groups. Her practice includes general corporate and real estate transactions. She also concentrates on natural resources and energy issues and has experience with oil and gas well development issues, including contract drafting, due diligence and title analysis for Marcellus and Utica Shale developers. Ms. Scott was previously with Sitko Bruno, LLC.
Ms. Scott is a a 2007 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.