Mission Statement

The Babst Calland Women’s Initiative strives to increase the retention and advancement of women attorneys at our Firm and in the broader legal community by promoting inclusivity and equal opportunities.

The Women’s Initiative meets regularly to facilitate open discussions about workplace challenges historically faced by women in professional settings and encourages the exchange of advice and experiences to aid others in navigating those challenges.

The Women’s Initiative further supports the Firm’s women attorneys in developing and promoting their practices by acknowledging and celebrating successes and encouraging mentorship among all of the Firm’s attorneys. A key goal of the Women’s Initiative is to connect women attorneys across the Firm’s practice groups and offices, allowing for organic support systems to develop and prosper. This blending of practice groups and offices encourages collaboration and cross-marketing opportunities that benefit our attorneys and clients. By encouraging these relationships, the Women’s Initiative’s work advances the professional and business development of women attorneys at the Firm and within the legal community at large.

 

Features

The following celebrates the initiatives of the women attorneys at Babst Calland.

Justine Kasznica and Anna Jewart Interview with Pittsburgh Business Times

March 26, 2026
Posted By: Babst Calland

View the video interview POWERING THE FUTURE: Navigating Opportunities and Challenges for Data Centers in the Region with Susan Koeppen and Babst Calland Attorneys Justine Kasznica and Anna Skipper Jewart, with accompanying article in this week’s edition of the Pittsburgh Business Times. Pennsylvania ranks among the top states for data center development growth. …

Katerina Vassil Co-Authors Firm Alert

March 11, 2026
Posted By: Babst Calland

Employers who want to protect their trade secrets and goodwill can use several types of restrictive covenants to limit departing employees from harming them in future employment. Two of the most common are non-compete and non-solicit provisions that can be included in employment agreements. These provisions are often confused by employers and thought to be equally enforceable, but in practice, they are not. In this alert, Attorneys Steve Silverman and Katerina Vassil address the differences between these two types of restrictions, their respective limitations on enforcement, and why an employer may want to use one over the other, or even both. …

Babst Calland Celebrates International Women’s Day

March 6, 2026
Posted By: Babst Calland

On March 8, 2026, we observe International Women’s Day (IWD), a global day to celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. This year’s theme for IWD is #GiveToGain. This theme emphasizes the power of reciprocity and support. When people, organizations, and communities give generously, opportunities and support for women increase. Giving is not a subtraction, it’s intentional multiplication. When women thrive, we all rise. …

Justine Kasznica to Serve as Panelist at PA Chamber’s Annual Women in Business Conference

March 2, 2026
Posted By: Babst Calland

Babst Calland will join the PA Chamber of Business and Industry for its 2026 Women in Business Conference on Thursday, April 2, 2026. This event will feature engaging panel discussions, expert-led workshops, and opportunities to collaborate on innovative solutions to today’s business challenges. Business professionals from across Pennsylvania will gather for a full day of networking, idea-sharing, and learning from industry leaders. …

Justine Kasznica to Serve as a Moderator at the 2nd Annual PA Data Center & Energy Innovation Summit

February 26, 2026
Posted By: Babst Calland

Babst Calland joins the Pittsburgh Technology Council for its 2nd Annual PA Data Center & Energy Innovation Summit on Friday, March 27, 2026. This Summit will bring together key stakeholders to explore the intersection of innovation, energy, and critical infrastructure, highlighting Pennsylvania’s unique strengths in each of these sectors.

Attorney

Attorney Justine Kasznica will serve as the moderator for the panel, “Empire of Lights: We Build It Here.” From George Westinghouse’s pioneering electrical grid to today’s manufacturing renaissance, western Pennsylvania continues to build the backbone of America’s energy system. …

Sloane Wildman Co-Authors PFAS Perspective

February 24, 2026
Posted By: Babst Calland

On February 23, 2026, EPA announced its final rule adding sodium perfluorohexanesulfonate (PFHxS-Na) to the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act. Businesses in covered industries must now track and report any use or release of PFHxS-Na above the reporting threshold of 100 lbs. Babst Calland’s Environmental attorneys closely tracking EPA’s PFAS actions, and our attorneys are available to provide strategic advice on how developing PFAS regulations may affect your business. …

Angela Harrod Co-Authors Firm Alert

February 24, 2026
Posted By: Babst Calland

Given the sharp rise in AI usage, courts have begun wrestling with the extent to which usage of AI tools for assistance with legal issues is protected from disclosure in discovery or otherwise. In this alert, Angela Harrod, David White, Marc Felezzola discuss early court decisions that demonstrate there is considerable risk that communications between a client and an AI platform may not be protected by the attorney-client privilege or work-product doctrine. …

Alex Farone to Be a Presenter for the PA Chamber of Business and Industry’s 2026 Human Resources Conference

February 19, 2026
Posted By: Babst Calland

On Thursday, March 5, 2026, business leaders from across the Commonwealth will gather for the PA Chamber of Business and Industry’s 2026 Human Resources Conference to tackle one of today’s most pressing employer challenges: how to operationalize AI responsibly, effectively, and with confidence.

Babst Calland Employment and Labor Attorney Alex Farone will join Denise Turley, Vice President of Corporate Systems at the U.S. …

Gina Buchman, Christina Puhnaty and Alex Graf Co-Author Environmental Alert

February 16, 2026
Posted By: Babst Calland

On February 12, 2026, the U.S. EPA announced a rule finalizing EPA’s repeal of the Obama administration’s 2009 Endangerment Finding as well as all federal greenhouse gas emissions standards for vehicles and engines of model years 2012 and beyond. Administrator Zeldin originally announced the agency’s intent to do so in March of 2025 as part of the agency’s “31 Historic Actions to Power the Great American Comeback” announcement, and a proposed rule was issued in August of 2025. …

Sloane Wildman and Alex Graf Co-Author PFAS Perspective

January 22, 2026
Posted By: Babst Calland

After EPA announced that it would retain the CERCLA hazardous substance designations for PFOA and PFOS on September 17, 2025, it filed a motion to lift the abeyance from the ongoing litigation regarding the designations in the D.C. Circuit in Chamber of Commerce of the United States of America v. EPA, No. 24-1193 (D.C. Cir.). The case was initiated in June 2024 when the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other industry groups challenged the Biden administration’s final rule designating PFOA and PFOS as CERCLA hazardous substances in the D.C. …

Cella Iovino and Katerina Vassil Co-Author Employment and Labor Alert

January 22, 2026
Posted By: Babst Calland

Over half of the states in the U.S. have enacted legislation to prohibit hair-based discrimination, and Pennsylvania has now followed suit. The Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair (CROWN) Act, signed into law on November 25, 2025, goes into effect on January 24, 2026. This state-wide measure follows CROWN Act ordinances passed by the Allegheny County and Pittsburgh City Councils in 2020 offering local protections. Cella Iovino and Katerina Vassil discuss several unique nuances of Pennsylvania’s new law. …

Justine Kasznica and Mackenzie Moyer Co-Author Firm Alert

January 15, 2026
Posted By: Babst Calland

On December 9, 2025, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) published a Notice of Availability and Request for Comment on the Draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA) for Drone Package Delivery Operations in the United States.[1]  The PEA was issued pursuant to the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024’s requirement that FAA examine and integrate programmatic-level approaches to the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) package delivery.  …

Attorney Spotlight on Ramonda Marling

January 14, 2026
Posted By: Babst Calland

View our attorney spotlight on Ramonda Marling in our Charleston, WV office. This is the eighth in a series of profiles featuring the women attorneys of Babst Calland to acknowledge and celebrate their success and to connect women attorneys across the Firm’s practice groups, offices and clients.

To view the profile on Ramonda, click here.

Meghan Mesojedec Joins Babst Calland

January 5, 2026
Posted By: Babst Calland

Meghan S. Mesojedec recently joined Babst Calland’s Pittsburgh, Pa. office as an associate in the Corporate and Commercial Group. Ms. Mesojedec focuses primarily on corporate, real estate and transactional matters, including mergers and acquisitions, commercial contracts, and the acquisition, disposition, and leasing of various asset types.

Prior to joining the Firm, Ms. Mesojedec was an associate with Metz Lewis Brodman Must O’Keefe LLC. …

Babst Calland Names Tiffany M. Arbaugh, Alexandra G. Farone and Stefanie Pitcavage Mekilo Shareholders

January 2, 2026
Posted By: Babst Calland

Babst Calland recently named Tiffany M. Arbaugh, Alexandra G. Farone and Stefanie Pitcavage Mekilo shareholders.

Tiffany Arbaugh practices in the Firm’s Charleston, W.Va. office and is a member of the Energy and Natural Resources and Litigation groups. Tiffany focuses her practice on representing corporations in a variety of litigation matters with an emphasis in energy-related litigation, including mineral title, real estate, trespass, fraud, title curative, personal injury and toxic torts. …

Women's Initiative
Anna Jewart Sits as a Panelist for Women’s History Month Educational Networking Event
Anna Jewart will be a panelist for the Women’s History Month Educational Networking Event on...
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News
SAY “YES”: Reinventing Yourself in the Legal Profession
The Legal Intelligencer (by Janet Meub) Clients come and go. There is no guarantee that...
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News
Babst Calland Participates in the New Jersey State Bar Association’s DEI Conference
Babst Calland participated in the New Jersey State Bar Association’s DEI Conference on October 7,...
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Women's Initiative
Babst Calland Celebrates International Women’s Day
On March 8, 2025, we observe International Women’s Day (IWD), a global day to celebrate...
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Babst Calland Receives ACBA ALLY Certification
News
Babst Calland Partners with PLDIC for “Ask Us Anything” Panel Discussion
Babst Calland partnered with the Pittsburgh Legal Diversity & Inclusion Coalition (PLDIC) to sponsor and...
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