Our People
Attorneys
University of Pennsylvania Law School
One Logan Square
18th & Cherry Streets, 27th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19103-6933
Fax: 215.568.0300
Biography
Wendy Beetlestone is nationally known for her tenacity, her focused commitment to her clients and her creative solutions. She litigates complex cases involving commercial disputes going to trial as necessary but settling as appropriate. In addition, her deep understanding of education law makes her in demand with public and private educational institutions.
Wendy, who is President of the Philadelphia Bar Foundation and Chair of Hangley’s Education Law Group, uses her outstanding leadership and team building skills to ensure that her clients receive the best representation with dynamic solutions to their legal issues at a carefully considered cost structure.
Wendy’s commitment to her client’s cause has earned her considerable acclaim and recognition. She has received an AV Peer Review Rating, the highest level of professional excellence in the Martindale-Hubbell system; has been included in The Best Lawyers in America for the last three years; and was named one of the 101 key "Connectors" in the Philadelphia area by LEADERSHIP Philadelphia, a community leadership organization. In an article identifying women leaders in the city, The Philadelphia Daily News dubbed her a “quiet force.”
Prior to her work with Hangley Aronchick, Wendy was appointed General Counsel of the School District of Philadelphia where she provided legal advice, guidance and counsel to the School District and its governing body, the School Reform Commission, and led the 19 lawyers in the office of the General Counsel who serve the School District. She went to the School District from a partnership at a major Philadelphia law firm. At the outset of her career, she served as law clerk to the Honorable Robert S. Gawthorp of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
She is a 1993 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Law School where she served as both Articles Editor and Associate Editor of The University of Pennsylvania Law Review. She received her BA with honors from Liverpool University in 1984.
Education
University of Pennsylvania Law School, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1993, JD
Liverpool University, Liverpool, United Kingdom, with Honors, 1984, BA
Clerkship
The Honorable Robert S. Gawthrop, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Law Clerk, 1993 – 1994
Honors and Awards
- Named a Local Litigation Star by Benchmark: The Definitive Guide to America’s Leading Litigation Firms and Attorneys, 2012
- Smart CEO Legal Elite: Go-To Attorney for Business Legal Advice, 2011
- Best Lawyers in America, selected as a Best Lawyer in America in Education, 2008, 2010, 2011, and 2012
- Citation by the Philadelphia Bar Association in recognition of outstanding efforts in the 2006 Raising the Bar Campaign
- Leadership Inc., "Connector," 2006
- Citation for Service to School District of Philadelphia, 2005
- Leadership Inc., Philadelphia, Class of 2001
- 40 Under 40 Minority, Executive Award, 2001
- University of Pennsylvania Law Review, Articles Editor
- University of Pennsylvania Law Review, Associate Editor
- Liverpool University, Welfare and National Union of Students Officer
- Liverpool University, The Gazette, Editor-in-Chief
- Liverpool University, Guild of Undergraduates, Honorary Life Member
Publications
- Third Circuit Reporter, The Legal Intelligencer Blog
- Author, "Court Clarifies Disciplining Students Over Social Media Use - Or Does It?", The Legal Intelligencer, June 28, 2011
- Author, "Second Circuit OKs Student's Sexual Harassment Suit Against Professor," The Legal Intelligencer, April 1, 2011
- Third Circuit Reporter for Education Law Reporter, 2009 – present
- Co-author with Owen F. Lipsett, Commentary: “No Child Left Behind’s Accountability and Access Provisions: An Inherent Tension Within Supplemental Educational Services Programs,” 216 Ed. Law. Rep. [807] (April 19, 2007) and 30 U. LA VERNE L. REV. 216.
- “There and Back Again: One Lawyer’s Journey Practicing Both Inside and Outside the Firm,” The Legal Intelligencer - Top Lateral Hires, February 6, 2006
- “Women Lawyers Can Succeed as Both Mothers and Partners,” The Legal Intelligencer, January 6, 2006
- “Unique Issues Posed by Defamation Suits Involving Statements Made Via the Internet,” The Law Journal Newsletters; The Internet Newsletter for Lawyers and Law 2.0, Vol. 7, No. 4, July 2002
- “'Slip-and-Fall Lawyer' Not Libelous," LDRC Libel Letter, June 1998
Representative Cases
- Selected as counsel to the Special Litigation Committee of the Board of Directors of Tower Bancorp to conduct an independent investigation into shareholder claims and a shareholder derivative action that alleged a merger agreement with Susquehanna Bancshares was, inter alia, in violation of the Board’s fiduciary duties.
- Defense of private K-12 school network against Department of Justice pattern and practice complaint alleging violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
- Defense of Italian manufacturer of a pharmaceutical robot and its officers in a multi-jurisdictional, multi-national dispute over distribution rights.
- Served as an expert on the use of audio-recording devices by students of their professors in higher education institutions.
- Defended former directors and managers of a venture capital technology fund and various corporate entities in international, multi-jurisdictional litigation involving claims of fraud, RICO and conspiracy allegations arising from investments made, at the height of the internet boom, in cutting-edge internet technologies and in an Asian telecommunications company.
- Represented the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Department of Education in a trial seeking to improve the academic and fiscal environments of an underperforming school district.
- Represented Chester Upland School District on a wide variety of matters, including a number of disputes with vendors such as internet providers.
- Disciplinary Consent Orders, School District of Philadelphia (2002): Developed successful legal strategy to streamline the student discipline process in The School District of Philadelphia.
- Moore v. Radian Group, Inc., 233 F. Supp.2d 819 (E.D. Tex. 2002): Secured dismissal of a case in which a provider of private mortgage insurance was sued by mortgagors seeking class action status on allegations that certain relationships between the provider and lenders violated the Real Estate Settlement Practices Act (RESPA).
- Paul v. Philadelphia Magazine (Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, May 1998): Trial of a case brought by a prospective mayoral candidate against a magazine for alleged defamation which was dismissed following close of plaintiff’s complaint on a motion for compulsory nonsuit.
- Defended domain name registrar in litigation concerning pre-registration procedures.
- Advised web site operator regarding defamation liability for material posted on the site.
- Trial counsel for waste industry defendants in a patent antitrust action.
- Representation of entertainment venue in antitrust litigation.
- Defense of multi-national corporation against trademark infringement action.
- Defense of Packard Bell/NEC, Inc. in dispute over alleged flaws in floppy disk controller.
- Counsel for defendant AM Communications in Computer Aid, Inc. v. Hewlett-Packard Company, a dispute over cable television software copyright.
- Representation of small family business in dispute with “Big Six” accountancy firm.
- Trial of package COD case in Philadelphia Municipal Court.
- Trial of injunction proceedings in contract dispute between mushroom growers.
- Defense of dispute between equestrians regarding property and livestock ownership.
- Preparation of libel seminars for a group of local television news stations.
- Advice to online retailer regarding compliance with COPPA.
- Defense of media and other organizations against defamation actions.
- Provision of emergency legal advice to television news organizations.
- Representation of several of the nation's largest chain drug stores in a suit alleging antitrust claims under the Robinson-Patman and Sherman Acts that pharmaceutical companies had illegally favored HMO and mail order purchases.
Professional Associations and Memberships
- Philadelphia Bar Foundation
- President, 2011 - 2012
- Treasurer, 2007 – 2008
- Board of Trustees, 2005 – Present
- Philadelphia Bar Association
- Co-Chair, Legislative Liaison Committee, 2008 – 2012
- Committee Co-Chair, Philadelphia Bar Association and School District of Philadelphia, 50th Anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education Celebration, 2004
- Committee Co-Chair, Philadelphia Bar Association and Philadelphia Bar Foundation, Raising the Bar Campaign, 2006, 2010
- Education Law Association, 2006 – 2009
Community
- Pennsylvania State Board of Education, 2010 – Present
- Council for Higher Education, 2010 - Present
- Philadelphia University, Board of Trustees, 2006 – Present
- Executive Committee, 2010 - 2011
- Forum of Executive Women, 2004 – Present
- Co-Chair, Public Sector Leadership Committee, 2009 – 2011
- Mann Center for Performing Arts, Board of Directors, 2002 – 2010
Teaching / Lecturing
- “Students’ Use of Online Social Networks: Freedom of Speech Versus Discipline,” Education Law Association Annual Conference, 2007
- “No Child Left Behind’s Accountability and Access Provisions: An Inherent Tension Within Supplemental Educational Services Programs,” Education Law Association Annual Conference, 2007
- “The Nuts and Bolts of Special Education Law,” The Philadelphia Association of Paralegals Education Conference, 2006
- Public Education Law, University of Pennsylvania Law School, Lecturer in Law
Bar Admissions
- Pennsylvania
- New Jersey
- United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
- United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
- United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania