Overview

Wendy Buckingham dedicates her practice to employment litigation and counseling. Wendy has represented employers in a wide range of matters, including:

  • Alleged violations of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA)
  • Claims of alleged violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act’s disclosure, authorization, and pre-adverse action requirements
  • Employment discrimination and retaliation under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and their state counterparts
  • Wage and hour claims under the Fair Labor Standards Act

Wendy’s representation extends to proceedings before administrative agencies, such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Department of Labor Veterans’ Employment and Training Service, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Bureau of Labor Law Compliance. Wendy regularly advises clients on legal compliance issues, drafts employment policies, and conducts in-house training. She has significant experience advising clients on USERRA and military leave questions, Pennsylvania child labor laws, and wage payment transitions from paper checks to electronic payroll methods in all fifty states.

Wendy serves as co-chair of the Veterans Initiative, the firm’s affinity group for former servicemembers, current Reserve and National Guard servicemembers, military spouses and family members, and their allies. Wendy is also a core member of Littler’s Background Checks practice group, for which she is a frequent contributor.

Wendy currently serves as a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps. She is a Purple Heart recipient and was named in President Obama’s 2010 Independence Day Celebration Remarks at the White House. As a featured presenter at Littler's 2019 Executive Employer© Conference, she spoke about her military service.

Prior to joining Littler, Wendy gained considerable labor and employment experience working in the Office of the General Counsel for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Headquarters in Washington, D.C. and as a JAG officer on active duty. At Notre Dame Law School, Wendy served as editor in chief of the Journal of College and University Law.

Professional & Community Affiliations

Lieutenant Colonel

United States Air Force Reserve, JAG Corps

Mentor

Travis Manion Foundation

2021-present

Alumni Mentor

Notre Dame Law School Mentorship Program

2015-present

Chairperson

Military Order of the Purple Heart (MOPH) National Scholarship Committee

2013 - 2018

Recognition

Named, Ones to Watch

The Best Lawyers in America®

2024-2025

Recipient, Outstanding Legal Assistance for Military Personnel Award (LAMP)

American Bar Association

2008

Recipient, Purple Heart and Air Force Combat Action Medal

wounds received in action on August 21, 2009

Recipient, Rev. William Corby, C.S.C. Award

for distinguished military service

University of Notre Dame

September 11, 2010

Recipient, USO Military Leadership Award

U.S. Air Force Representative

United Service Organizations

April 26, 2011

News, Analysis & Press

San Francisco Mandates Paid Military Leave

SHRM Online

February 8, 2023

Speaking Engagements

Human Resources and Employment Matters Review

Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 Small Businesses Legal Clinic, Philadelphia, PA

March 21, 2024

Judge Advocate to Law Firm – What You Need to Know

Panelist, Judge Advocates Association, Virtual

March 20, 2024

USERRA Q&A Panel

Panelist, Airlines for America Conference, Washington, D.C.

March 18, 2024

2024 Jobs for JAGs

Panelist, Where to Find a Job – Corporate and Private Practice Panel, Virtual/Washington, D.C

January 10, 2024

Avoid The Crosshairs As CRA Dispute Reinvestigations Are Being Targeted

Professional Background Screening Association (PBSA)

September 11, 2023

Comparing Apples to Oranges: How USERRA's Comparability Standard May Impact Employee Benefits

Littler Executive Employer Conference, Phoenix, AZ

May 12, 2023

Comparing Apples to Oranges: How USERRA's Comparability Standard May Impact Employee Benefits

Littler Executive Employer Conference, Phoenix, AZ

May 11, 2023

Pardons, Expungements, and Post-Conviction Relief, Oh My!

PBSA Mid-Year Legislative & Regulatory Conference, Arlington, VA

April 17, 2023

2023 Jobs for JAGs

Panelist, Where to Find a Job – Corporate and Private Practice Panel, Virtual/Washington, D.C.

January 10, 2023

Tough Calls: Background Check Processes and Decisions

Client Webinar

October 6, 2022

USERRA Litigation Update

Airlines for America Conference, Honolulu, HI

October 5, 2022

Panel Member, Role of the Private Sector in Preserving the All-Volunteer Force

Citizen-Warrior Coalition, Reserve Organization of America National Convention, Washington, D.C.

September 30, 2022

Speaker, Resiliency in the Face of Life’s Battles

Client Webinar

June 30, 2022

Keynote Speaker, Resiliency in the Face of Life’s Battles

2022 Professional Women Controllers’ National Training Conference, Charlotte, NC

April 20, 2022

Paperless Payroll: Essentials to a Seamless Transition

Lorman Webinar

November 19, 2021

Littler Talks - Wendy Buckingham on Her Military Service

2019 Executive Employer Conference, Phoenix, AZ

May 2019

Member of the Armed Forces Panel

Second Annual Women in the Law Conference: "Working the System: Creating a Women's World from the Inside Out," Duke Law School

January 20, 2012

Education

  • J.D., Notre Dame Law School, 2007cum laude
  • B.A., University of Notre Dame, 2004magna cum laude
  • M.M.A.S., Air Command and Staff College, 2019

Bar Admission

Texas
Pennsylvania
District of Columbia
New Jersey

Courts

  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania
  • U.S. District Court, Middle District of Pennsylvania
  • U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey
  • U.S. District Court, District of Delaware