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Savage_Kat

Kat B. Savage

Associate Providence

Kat is a member of Hinckley Allen’s Litigation Practice Group, focusing primarily on energy and environmental regulatory work. She advises clients on land-use, permitting, and contract questions in many different contexts, including large-scale renewable energy projects, such as offshore wind farms and solar facilities, as well as smaller green energy projects. She represents both public utilities and private parties before state regulators and, if necessary, carries their cases to the Superior or Supreme Courts of Rhode Island on appeal. She has successfully argued before the Rhode Island Supreme Court to secure a win for her client on a complex energy law question.

In addition to her energy and environmental regulatory practice, Kat advises both individuals and businesses navigating complex commercial matters in state and federal courts.  Kat’s complex commercial litigation practice covers a wide array of industries and issues, ranging from shareholder disputes and breaches of contract in state courts to constitutional claims and RICO matters in federal courts.

Kat regularly contributes to thought leadership by authoring articles and book chapters with national circulation, and provides guidance to clients and colleagues on emerging issues. Her most recent contributions include articles explaining the energy infrastructure permitting implications of the 2023 Fiscal Responsibility Act, and the consequences of amendments to Rhode Island’s freshwater wetlands regulations. She recently accepted the position of Vice Chair of Programming for the ABA Section on Energy, Environment, and Resources (SEER), where she offers her perspective and assistance to drive programming on issues like brownfields, streamlined permitting, and environmental justice. Kat is also an active participant in Rhode Island’s Bar Association, serving on both the Young Lawyers Committee and Environmental & Energy Law Committee, and is a member of the RIBAR’s inaugural Leadership Academy class, alongside only 14 other rising leaders in the Rhode Island legal community.

Kat is committed to public service and social causes. She currently serves as an appointed Commissioner on the Rhode Island Commission on Judicial Tenure and Discipline, and previously served as a board member for the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Additionally, Kat has dedicated over 150 hours to pro bono work this year, representing domestic violence survivors in their Massachusetts family court proceedings, including bringing those matters through trial and initiating appeals.

Experience

Representative Matters

  • Represented a renewable energy developer in its appeal of an adverse zoning decision related to an incongruous reading of a local ordinance, which ultimately resulted in a favorable outcome issued by the Rhode Island Supreme Court.
  • Represented a medical practice in a dispute with a former shareholder, which ultimately resolved with a favorable settlement.
  • Represented an academic institution before the Rhode Island Superior Court in its appeal of an adverse zoning decision related to recent changes in state law regarding short term rentals, which resulted in a favorable outcome.

Credentials

Work Experience

  • Hinckley Allen
    • Associate (2019-present)
  • United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island
    • Law Clerk for Chief Judge William E. Smith (2018-2019)
  • Rhode Island Supreme Court
    • Law Clerk for the Honorable William P. Robinson, III (2017-2018)

Honors & Awards

  • Super Lawyers, Rhode Island
    • Rising Stars (2023)

Charitable & Civic Involvement

  • Rhode Island Commission on Judicial Tenure and Discipline
  • Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence (RICADV), Board Member
  • Hasboro Children's Hospital, Heroes' Ball Committee

Professional Affiliations

  • American Bar Association
    • Environment, Energy, and Resources Section, Programs Vice Chair (2023-2024)
  • Environmental Business Council of new England (EBC)
    • Leadership Team Member (2022 - present)
  • New England Women in Energy and the Environment (NEWIEE)
  • Rhode Island Bar Association
    • Leadership Academy, Participant (2023-2024)
  • Rhode Island Women’s Bar Association

Bar Memberships

  • Massachusetts
  • Rhode Island
  • United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts
  • United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island

Newsroom

Publication

Streamlining Clean Energy Project Development in Massachusetts: A Call for Reform

In a significant move towards encouraging and strengthening clean energy initiatives, on March 29, 2024, the Massachusetts Commission on Energy Infrastructure Siting and Permitting (the “Commission”) published a comprehensive set of recommendations aim…

Publication

4 Takeaways from the 2024 Offshore Wind Conference

The Environmental Business Council recently hosted its 11th Annual Offshore Wind Conference, where clean energy leaders including developers, consultants, and permitting attorneys from around the Northeast convened to celebrate the accomplishments of offsh…

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Firm News

57 Hinckley Allen Lawyers Included in 2023 Super Lawyers and Rising Stars Lists

A total of 57 Hinckley Allen attorneys were named to the Super Lawyers® and Rising Stars lists in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Upstate New York for 2023, including those newly recognized as well as featured in Top Lists.Ger…

Firm News

Hinckley Allen Welcomes Litigation Attorneys, Janelle A. Pelli, Liz Nagle, and Kat B. Savage

Hinckley Allen is pleased to welcome Janelle A. Pelli Liz Nagle, and Kat B. Savage as Associates in the Firm’s Litigation group.Janelle L.Janelle joins the Firm’s Albany office after previously working for the United States District Court for the Nort…

Case Study

Overcoming Zoning Hurdles for Renewable, Clean Energy

Hinckley Allen represented a commercial-scale solar energy provider as it sought to build a solar farm in Rhode Island.Town regulations required the energy provider to obtain a zoning special use permit. Hinckley Allen helped the client manage the zoning p…

Case Study

Victory in Case of First Impression: Zoning Restrictions and Short-term Rentals in RI

When the Town of Barrington (the "Town") told the Rhode Island School of Design (“RISD”) that its use of certain property as a short-term rental violated the Town Zoning Ordinance, RISD turned to Hinckley Allen for help.The Town applied the definition …

Featured Media

Publications

Mitchell R. Edwards & Katherine B. Savage, Chapter 11: Lender Fiduciary Liability, LITIGATING FIDUCIARY DUTY CLAIMS, ABA Book Publishing (Jason R. Domark, ed.) (February 25, 2022)

Mitchell R. Edwards & Katherine B. Savage, No Soul To Be Damned: How to Combat Jurors’ Anti-Corporate Bias Against Financial Institutions, ABA (Spring 2022 Newsletter)