Profile

At a Glance

Wende Knapp is a global, business-minded employment attorney who spent more than a decade of her career in-house - leading worldwide employment law functions and navigating the day-to-day realities employers face. Wende brings that inside perspective to her clients, delivering practical legal advice, tailored HR consulting, and impactful training that helps organizations lead confidently, stay compliant, and manage risk without losing momentum. She has a BA from Canisius College, an MA from Seton Hall University, and her JD from University at Buffalo School of Law.

She’s a forward-thinking, global senior legal, employment law/HR, communications, and business advisor with multinational, cross-border experience. Wende has led strategic HR initiatives and day-to-day HR oversight along with management of legal risk and issues ranging from complex to simple transactions, agreements, contracts, employment issues, ethics and compliance, HR policy development and enforcement, talent development, performance management, strategic planning, and strategic and crisis communications. She’s also experienced working with every level of an organization including, but not limited to, the C-Suite and board of directors, and has broad operations experience managing multi-million-dollar budgets and leading teams around the globe!

After 16 years as a journalist and a PR executive at Xerox, Wende made a career pivot in 2007 to attend law school. Upon graduation, she worked in private practice as a litigation and labor & employment attorney with amazing mentors and colleagues at Woods Oviatt Gilman. She re-joined Xerox in 2014 for 5 years in its Office of General Counsel, then spent several years with Paychex launching a new service model for more than 600 customer-facing HR team members and, in 2021, joined Procore Technologies, Inc. a California-based, hyper-growth construction management software provider where she was Assistant General Counsel of Global Employment Law. After spending nearly 4 years advising every level of the organization on HR- and employment law-related matters around the world and developing a global employment law department, she recently re-joined Woods Oviatt Gilman as a partner and the head of the firm’s Employment Law Practice Group.

Wende is also honored to be a Rochester Business Journal 2011 Forty Under 40 honoree, a Daily Record 2016 Up-and-Coming Attorney, the recipient of the Monroe County Bar Association’s 2017 Emerging Bar Leader Award. With the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce, she’s served as an ex-officio board member and former chair of the ATHENA International Awards, past president of Women’s Council, a Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce Affiliate, and co-creator/co-founder of the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce’s Women Empowering Women event. Wende has been a proud member of Greater Rochester Association for Women Attorneys (GRAWA) since 2010 and has served in a variety of capacities including recently serving as GRAWA’s 42^nd president and now immediate-past president, as well as a past member of the Board of Directors, as WBASNY Delegate and on the following committees: strategic planning, nominating, programs, and women’s connections. As president of GRAWA, Wende also served on the Women’s Bar Association of New York executive committee. Wende has served on the Monroe County Bar Association’s board of trustees and as chair of the Young Lawyers Section. She is a former board member and chair for the University at Buffalo Law Alumni Association – Rochester Chapter, a former board member of Causewave Community Partners and currently serves the vice chair for New York Kitchen. She’s also head of the Women’s Advisory Group for Locust Hill Country Club.

A proud Buffalonian, Wende is married to her partner-in-crime and favorite global traveling companion, Joseph, and is an avid DIY-er - spending spent the last 25 years honing her electrical, plumbing, and construction skills on her City of Rochester home and cottage on Conesus Lake. She has three adorable, and sometimes mischievous, rescue pups – Dolly, Hugo, and Gracie Lou!

Honors

• Rochester Business Journal 2011 Forty Under 40 Honoree
• Daily Record 2016 Up-and-Coming Attorney
• Monroe County Bar Association’s 2017 Emerging Bar Leader Award

Practice Areas

Education

University at Buffalo School of Law, J.D.

Seton Hall University, Masters Degree

Canisius College, Bachelors Degree

Bar Admissions

• New York State

Professional Affiliations

• Greater Rochester Association for Women Attorneys (GRAWA), Former Member of Board of Directors as WBASNY Delegate, 42^nd President & Now Immediate-Past President
• Women’s Bar Association of New York, Former Executive Committee Member
• Monroe County Bar Association, Former Board of Trustees Member & Chair of Young Lawyers Section
• University at Buffalo Law Alumni Association - Rochester Chapter, Former Board Member & Chair

Community Involvement