Allison Borgatti of Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney. Courtesy photo Allison Borgatti of Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney. Courtesy photo

Allison Borgatti, Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney

In her almost 3,000 billed hours as a shareholder in the firm's white-collar defense, compliance and investigations practice last year, Borgatti took on numerous complex cases running the gamut of various state and federal investigations and corporate compliance investigations.

One of her biggest accomplishments resulted from her work counseling a large, Houston-based oil and gas company that had been indicted by the Pennsylvania Attorney General over alleged violations of the state's Clean Streams laws. The company was facing 15 charges, nine of which were felonies stemming from allegations that the company's fracking activities had impacted local water supplies in the Susquehanna County region of Pennsylvania. Borgatti joined forces with local engineering firms to conduct a six-month investigation into the area's topography and engaged in extensive negotiations with the Deputy Attorney General of the Environmental Crimes Section, including conversations briefed to the AG himself. As a result of her dedication, guidance and expertise, Borgatti brokered a win-win-win scenario for all parties involved. She got all charges dropped against her client except for a no contest plea to one misdemeanor. As part of the deal, her client agreed to pay $16.2 million to provision a water pipeline serving the community—ensuring them access to clean water and giving the AG a public victory.

How did you remain effective in light of all the challenges the legal field faced?