Wendell “Bud” F. Cowan

Recently retired Mr. Cowan practiced in the area of litigation and employment law. With over four decades in the practice of law, Bud has accumulated extensive experience in employment-related litigation and consultation. He has litigated hundreds of trials and administrative hearings defending businesses and municipalities in discrimination, wrongful discharge and civil rights cases. He has been a criminal prosecutor, entrepreneur, and Fortune 50 company legal department supervisor, has designed programs saving millions of dollars, and has created novel responses to the ever-changing employment law environment. Bud has experience in consultation and litigation of the litany of employment law intricacies: ADA, ADEA, FLSA, FMLA, OSHA, civil rights, Title VII and unemployment, and workers’ compensation. He has also presented numerous risk-avoidance seminars and provided consultation to various business groups, employers, and attorneys on personnel law issues concerning discipline and claims. Additionally, he has created a diversity awareness program for a 30,000 employee workforce. Cowan is listed in The Best Lawyers in America© in the areas of Employment Law – Management, Insurance Law, and Litigation – Labor and Employment. He was recognized by Best Lawyers® as the 2017 and 2021 Kansas City, KS Insurance “Lawyer of the Year.”

Education

• Washburn University (J.D., 1974)
  Editorial Board, Comments Editor and Business Manager - Washburn Law Journal
• Kansas State University (B.S., 1969)

Admissions

• U.S. Supreme Court
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
• U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas
• U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri
• Kansas (1974)
• Missouri (1996)

• Employment & Labor
• Insurance Defense Litigation
• Governmental Liability

• Washburn University School of Law Alumni Association, Board of Governors

Litigation—Hundreds of trials and administrative hearings defending businesses in discrimination, wrongful discharge and workers’ compensation cases.

Consultation—Risk avoidance consultation with large and small employers concerning discipline and claims.

Training—Presentation of seminars for employers and attorneys on personnel law issues. Creation of a diversity awareness program for a 30,000 employee workforce.

Supervision—Administration of a Fortune 50 company legal department with a budget of $2 million.

• Recognized by Best Lawyers® as the 2017 and 2021 Kansas City, KS Insurance Law Lawyer of the Year
• Selected by peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© in the areas of Employment Law – Management, and Litigation – Labor & Employment, 2011-2021, and Insurance Law, 2013-2021
• Selected for inclusion in Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers® List, 2013-2014, 2016 - 2018 (a Thomson Reuters business)
• Kansas Bar Association
• Johnson County Bar Association
• The Missouri Bar
• Kansas Association of Defense Counsel

2014

• How to Have Difficult Conversations with Employees (Foulston Siefkin LLP, Employment Law Seminar)

2012

• Ten Things Employers Do That Drive Their Lawyers Crazy (Foulston Siefkin Employment Law Seminar)
• The Latest FMLA Cases (Foulston Siefkin Employment Law Seminar)

2010

• The FLSA: What All HR Professionals Need to Know (HR Basics) (Foulston Siefkin, Employment Law Seminar - Overland Park)
• Advanced FLSA: Understanding, Preparing for, and Defending Wage and Hour Audits (Foulston Siefkin, Employment Law Seminar - Overland Park)

2009

• Dealing with a Diversified Workplace: How to Avoid Claims for Religious and National Origin Discrimination (Foulston Siefkin Employment Law Seminar)

2008

• Unemployment – How it Works and How to Avoid Awards (Foulston Siefkin Employment Law Seminar)