Kathleen Dreyfus Bardunias

Partner

Kathleen Dreyfus Bardunias

Partner

Kathleen Dreyfus Bardunias is a partner and business lawyer with Foley & Lardner LLP, where she focuses her practice on employee benefits and executive compensation. Kathleen is admitted to practice in New York and Wisconsin.

Kathleen advises public and private employers on tax, Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), fiduciary, and securities law issues that arise in the design, implementation and ongoing administration of employee benefit and compensation plans, including 401(k) plans, pension plans, equity and other incentive compensation plans, non-qualified deferred compensation plans and employment agreements. She frequently advises clients on compliance issues related to ERISA, the Internal Revenue Code (including qualified retirement plan rules and Code Section 409A), and rules and guidance, including under formal and informal correction programs, from the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Labor.

Kathleen also advises public and private companies on the employee benefits and executive compensation issues that arise in merger and acquisition transactions.

Kathleen joined the firm in 2016 after practicing with a large law firm in New York.

Presentations and Publications​

  • Kathleen was the assistant editor for the 2016 Cumulative Supplement to ERISA Fiduciary Law, 2d. Edition (Susan P. Serota & Andrew L. Oringer, Ed., Bloomberg BNA 2016). She has co-authored numerous articles regarding recent developments in employee benefits and ERISA law.
July 17, 2025 Foley Viewpoints

Tricky Compliance Issues for Companies When an Executive Terminates Employment: Stock Options, Restricted Stock, and Other Equity Incentive Awards

Executive employment relationships are rarely permanent. When an executive or other senior-level employee terminates employment,...
July 11, 2025 Deals and Wins

Foley Represents Five Elms Capital in $51M Series C Investment in Spacelift

Foley & Lardner LLP represented Five Elms Capital, a software-focused growth equity firm, in its lead investment in the $51 million Series C funding round of Spacelift, an infrastructure orchestration platform that manages the entire infrastructure lifecycle across multi-cloud and hybrid environments.
June 10, 2025 Deals and Wins

Foley Represents Relevant Industrial in Strategic Investment by Fusion Capital Partners

Foley & Lardner LLP represented Relevant Industrial, LLC (Relevant), a leading provider of industrial equipment and engineered solutions, in the acquisition of Relevant by Fusion Capital Partners (Fusion) through a strategic financial investment. LKCM Headwater Investments (LKCM), a longstanding partner to Relevant, sold a majority stake in the company and reinvested as a minority stakeholder.
April 21, 2025 Foley Viewpoints

Taming the Tariffs: Employee Benefit Issues for Employers During Times of Economic Uncertainty – Group Employee Terminations

Many companies are scrambling to quickly assess how to reduce the business impact of the upheaval to U.S. manufacturing and trading with the recent onslaught of tariffs threatened or imposed by the United States and the related global response.
April 3, 2025 Deals and Wins

Foley Represents cQuant.io in Acquisition by Zema Global

Foley & Lardner LLP represented cQuant.io, an industry leader in analytic solutions for energy and commodity companies, in its acquisition by Zema Global, a leading provider of data management and analytics solutions for companies in the energy, commodities, and financial sectors.
March 27, 2025 Deals and Wins

Foley Represents Housatonic Partners and Universal Gaming Group in Universal Gaming Group’s Combination with Delaware North’s Gaming Business

Foley & Lardner LLP represented Housatonic Partners and Universal Gaming Group (UGG), an Illinois route-gaming operator, in UGG’s recent combination with Gaming & Entertainment Management – Illinois LLC (GEM), a subsidiary of global hospitality and entertainment company Delaware North.