Wayne Downey III, Esq.

Attorney Wayne F. Downey III joined Scaringi Law in 2025 and focuses his practice on family law, juvenile law, administrative and regulatory law, and civil and commercial litigation.

Mr. Downey handles every type of family law matter including divorce, custody, support, adoption, children and youth involvement, and protection from abuse matters throughout Central and Southeastern Pennsylvania. As a former Children and Youth Services Solicitor, he is an expert on issues related to child abuse, ChildLine appeals, juvenile dependency, juvenile delinquency, termination of parental rights, and other Children and Youth Services and Department of Human Services matters. He also volunteered as a guardian ad litem for the Montgomery Child Advocacy Project. Mr. Downey is a dedicated and zealous advocate for his clients, who draws upon a vast breadth of knowledge and experience to formulate the best possible litigation strategy.

Having previously acted as a solo general practice attorney, Mr. Downey also has experience in litigating a wide range of civil and commercial cases, from property disputes, breach of contract, personal injury and dog bites, to criminal defense, record expunction, and business entity formation.

Mr. Downey’s experience in the civilian nuclear power industry had extensive compliance demands with rules from a variety of governmental agencies, including the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Institute of Nuclear Power Operators (INPO), Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), OSHA, EPA, and others. He also handled risk management and performance improvement duties.

Mr. Downey additionally served as an Arbitrator in Chester and Montgomery County small claims courts, giving him valuable experience on the other side of the bench, which he puts to good use in the courtroom. As a member of the Montgomery Bar Association’s Criminal Defense section, he contributed to the 2015 rewrite of the Criminal Defense Manual, a resource for laypeople entering the criminal justice system.

Mr. Downey is a Harrisburg native with strong ties to the region. His father was a local geologist and graduate of Bishop McDevitt high school. His grandfather was also a local native, who grew up on Cameron Street, worked on his father’s coal dredges on the Susquehanna River, graduated from John Harris high school where he played football and excelled at track and field, specifically the pole vault, and later worked his entire 35-year career at Bethlehem Steel, retiring in 1977.

Mr. Downey enlisted in the US Navy directly after high school and entered the ultra-selective and challenging nuclear propulsion training program. Upon completion of this rigorous 2-year course of instruction in Charleston, South Carolina, he reported to his first command, a fast-attack submarine based out of Groton, Connecticut. He served over 4 years there as a Reactor Operator, including on 9/11/2001. He completed two deployments to the Mediterranean to support Operation Enduring Freedom, earning the Global War on Terror Expeditionary Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, and the prestigious Battle “E” for best ship in the squadron, among other awards, accolades, and commendations. He separated from the Navy at the end of his first enlistment after 6 years with an honorable discharge.

From there he applied and was accepted to Penn State, which he attended with assistance from the GI Bill while working as a waiter and bartender to support himself. He completed his freshman year at the Capital Campus in Middletown. He worked a short stint as a civilian nuclear operator at Indian Point Energy Center in New York before returning to his alma mater, Penn State, this time for law school at University Park. While there, he focused his studies on trial advocacy and was selected in his final semester for a study abroad externship with the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague, Netherlands as an intern in the Office of the Prosecutor for the war crimes prosecution of Major General Ratko Mladic. During this experience, he learned complex litigation management, trial strategy, witness preparation, and drafted motions and contributed summaries used by senior attorneys to draft the Final Trial Brief. This prosecution was ultimately successful against General Mladic, the court finding him guilty of genocide against the Bosnian Muslims in Sarajevo and Srebrenica.

Mr. Downey graduated from Penn State Dickinson School of Law in 2013.

He is an avid outdoorsman, climber, sailor, SCUBA diver, and driver of anything with wheels or propellers.

Joined the firm

• 2025

Areas of Practice

• Family Law
• Juvenile Law
• Civil and Commercial Litigation
• Administrative and Regulatory Law

Bar Admissions

• Pennsylvania, 2014
• U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, 2015

Education

• Dickinson School of Law of the Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania
  • Juris Doctor - May 2013
• Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania
  • B.A. Political Science - May 2008
  • Honors: Dean's List

Pro Bono Activities

• Montgomery Child Advocacy Project, 2014-2016
• Wills for Heroes, 2015
• Public Interest Law Fund, 2012