Vaughn Burkholder

Vaughn Burkholder is a partner and member of Foulston’s litigation & employment practice group in the firm’s Kansas City office. In practice for nearly four decades, Vaughn helps employers reduce their risk and defends clients in employment litigation. He represents employers involving ADA, FMLA, harassment, discrimination, wrongful termination, retaliation and other employment issues. He has been the lead defense counsel in numerous successful cases before the EEOC, KHRC and other administrative agencies, and has been the lead attorney for negotiations, settlement, and litigation of employee rights lawsuits. Vaughn also assists employers with employment policies and procedures, reductions-in-force, investigations, discipline, terminations, and all other workplace issues.

A nationally recognized authority on employment law issues, Vaughn has been quoted in HR Magazine, the Kansas City Business Journal, and the Wichita Eagle. He has been selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America^® for the last 20 years, and since 2008, the Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers^® list. In 2013, he was named by Best Lawyers^® the Kansas City, KS Employment Law – Management “Lawyer of the Year.” Vaughn enjoys Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory’s highest “AV” rating for lawyers. Vaughn is a member of  the Kansas Association of Defense Counsel, on whose Board of Directors he has served. Vaughn has also served on the Kansas Bar Foundation Board of Trustees.

Personal Mission Statement:
When it comes to advising employers about how to handle the challenges they face arising from the workplace, just knowing the laws is not enough. There is no “one-size-fits-all” approach. The most valuable legal advice comes from a lawyer who has taken the time to know and understand the client’s goals and tolerance for risk. Vaughn takes pride in helping his clients navigate today’s employment law minefield with minimum risk.

And when the need arises for a lawyer to address a challenge that doesn’t require Vaughn’s many years of experience, he knows the right Foulston lawyer who can handle the matter in the most cost-efficient way. Vaughn’s entire legal career has been spent at Foulston; he is proud to work with partners and associates who share common professional goals. All Foulston lawyers have a “client-first” mentality — it’s what defines the firm.

Bring Vaughn unique challenges and he will provide tailored solutions. That’s what Foulston does.

Education

• Creighton University School of Law (J.D., 1982)
  cum laude
• Midland University (B.A., 1977)
  summa cum laude

Admissions

• Kansas (1982)
• U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas (1982)

• Employment & Labor
• Insurance Defense Litigation
• Administrative/Regulatory
• Governmental Liability
• Litigation & Disputes

• Government
• Healthcare
• Insurance
• Hospitality & Retail
• Tax-Exempt/Not-for-Profit Organizations
• Franchise & Distribution

• Recognized by Best Lawyers® as the 2013 Kansas City, KS Employment Law “Lawyer of the Year”
• Selected by peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® in the areas of Employment Law – Management, Litigation – Labor and Employment, and Workers’ Compensation Law – Employers, 1995-2025
• Selected for inclusion in Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers® List, 2005, 2008-2014 (a Thomson Reuters business) 
• Named a "Labor & Employment Star" by Benchmark Litigation, 2018-2022
• Kansas Bar Association
• Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association
• Johnson County Bar Association
• Kansas Bar Foundation Former Trustee
• Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers
• Kansas Association of Defense Counsel Former Director

2024

• Employment Law Squares (Foulston Siefkin LLP, Employment Law Institute)

2022

• Wait, Wait, Don't Sue Me (Foulston Siefkin LLP, Employment Law Institute Webinar Series)

2021

• Tales From the Dark Side: Employment Law Trends, Our Predictions for the Future, and What This Means for You (Foulston Siefkin LLP, Employment Law Institute Webinar Series)

2020

• A View From the Plaintiff's Side (Foulston Siefkin LLP, HR Training Series)

• HR Roundtable (Olathe Chamber of Commerce)
• New Federal Laws in the Time of COVID-19 (Overland Park Chamber of Commerce)

2019

• Employment Discrimination Mock Trial (Kansas SHRM State Conference)

• Employment Law Update (Olathe Chamber of Commerce)

2018

• End-of-Year Update: We Made the List But It’s Up to You to Check It Twice (Foulston Siefkin LLP, HR Training Series)

• Not as Easy as One, Two, Three: How the FMLA, ADA, and Workers' Compensation Interact with Employee Leave of Absence and Return to Work (Foulston Siefkin LLP, HR Training Series)
• In the Beginning: What Every HR "Newbie" Needs to Know about Employment Law (Foulston Siefkin LLP, HR Training Series)
• #YouToo: In-House Counsel's Ethical Obligations in the Age of #MeToo (Foulston Siefkin LLP, Ethics Seminar for Corporate Counsel)

2017

• Dealing with Ill / Injured Employees (Foulston Siefkin LLP, HR Training Series)

• Employment Law Myth Busters: Exposing Common Misconceptions about Wage-and-Hour Law, Employee Handbooks, and Other Workplace Issues (Foulston Siefkin LLP, HR Training Series)All About Employment Agreements (Foulston Siefkin LLP, HR Training Series)
• Hot Issues In Employment Law (Foulston Siefkin LLP, HR Training Series)
• Performance Management (Foulston Siefkin LLP, HR Training Series)

2016

• Dig Two Graves: Avoiding Retaliation in the Workplace (Foulston Siefkin LLP, Employment Law Seminar)

• “WWED?” (What Would the EEOC Do?): The Interplay Between Religious Accommodation and LGBT Rights in the Workplace (Foulston Siefkin LLP, Employment Law Seminar)
• HR101: The Employee Handbook – Guidebook for Your Workplace (Foulston Siefkin LLP, Employment Law Seminar)

2015

• In the Beginning: What Every HR “Newbie” Needs to Know about Employment Law (Foulston Siefkin LLP, Employment Law Seminar)

• The Craziest Thing I Ever Heard: New Court Rulings and EEOC, NLRB, and DOL Activity that Every Employer Needs to Know About (Foulston Siefkin LLP, Employment Law Seminar)

2017

• Employee Injury Sustained on 'Holiday Trip' Covered by Workers' Compensation
  ​-Kansas Employment Law Blog
• What I’ve Learned in 35 Years as an Employment Lawyer
  -Kansas Employment Law Letter, Vol. 24, No. 4

2011

• Worker Classifications Taking on New Importance
  -Ingram's Kansas City Business Magazine

2010

• Quoted in Digital Divide: Employers Should Take Care Not to Cross Lines in Social Media Law - Corporate Counsel
  -Kansas City Business Journal

2009

• Difficult Employment Decisions in the Downturn
  -A Business Perspective, The Wichita Eagle

2007

• Quoted in - Weapons Policies Under Fire
  -HR Magazine

2006

• Quoted in Companies Must Stay Abreast of Employment Law Changes
  -Kansas City Business Journal

2020

• Coronavirus: Stay-at-Home Orders