Area of Emphasis
Kate Cooper is a shareholder in Babst Calland’s Corporate and Commercial and Emerging Technologies practice groups. She currently serves as chair of the Firm’s Renewables Group. With more than 15 years of experience, she provides practical, business-minded legal counsel to clients across a variety of industries, including renewable energy, manufacturing, and advanced materials. Her practice is centered on mergers and acquisitions, commercial contracts, and general business counseling for clients ranging from founder-led companies to global enterprises. In addition, she advises and counsels companies in navigating the complex legal landscape of data center development.
Ms. Cooper has extensive experience advising clients in complex mergers and acquisitions, including platform acquisitions, add-on transactions, and divestitures. She regularly represents private equity funds, strategic acquirers, and closely held businesses in negotiating transactions involving both domestic and international operations. Her work spans a range of industries, with a particular focus on energy and industrials, where she assists clients in navigating acquisition strategy, diligence, deal execution, and post-closing integration. She also frequently advises portfolio companies on follow-on acquisitions and day-to-day operational legal needs.
In the renewable energy space, Ms. Cooper counsels developers, sponsors, and investors in the acquisition, development, and sale of solar and wind projects. She is experienced in transaction execution and the coordination of multi-disciplinary teams supporting large-scale project portfolios.
In addition to her transactional work, Ms. Cooper serves as outside general counsel to a multi-national performance materials manufacturer, where she oversees the company’s full suite of legal needs across its operations and global footprint. In that role, she handles everything from supply chain and commercial contracting to employment, corporate governance, and strategic transactions. She works closely with senior leadership to align legal strategy with business goals, acting as a practical and solutions-oriented partner.
Before joining Babst Calland, Ms. Cooper practiced at large firms in New York City and Pittsburgh, representing clients in a broad range of corporate matters.
Background
Ms. Cooper earned her J.D. cum laude from Boston College Law School, where she was a Note Editor for the Boston College Law Review. She holds a B.A. from Penn State University’s Schreyer Honors College.
Memberships and Affiliations
Ms. Cooper is licensed to practice in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and New York. She is a member of the Allegheny County Bar Association, the Pittsburgh chapter of Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy (WRISE) and the Foundation for Natural Resources and Energy Law (FNREL). Ms. Cooper has been selected to the Pennsylvania Rising Stars list (Thomson Reuters) since 2023.
