Conducting Internal Investigations

This presentation will discuss the importance of conducting an effective investigation into any allegation of employee misconduct including sexual harassment, discrimination, workplace violence and threats of violence, substance abuse, theft, and violations of the organization’s ethics policies.  We will provide  practical guidance on the skills necessary to conduct these investigations including how to:  ask effective questions, interview reluctant witnesses, interview the accused, access credibility, and arrive at a legally-defensible decision.  The attendees will learn how to prepare and utilize all of the necessary documentation which is needed as part of an investigation. 

STEPHEN J. HIRSCHFELD is a founding partner in the San Francisco office of Curiale Hirschfeld Kraemer LLP.  He is also the founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Employment Law Alliance, the world’s largest network of labor and employment lawyers.  Mr. Hirschfeld practices in the areas of labor and employment law and related litigation.  He has substantial experience in wrongful termination and discrimination litigation, employment law counseling, collective bargaining, labor arbitrations, union organizing issues, and training management to minimize litigation and human resource problems.  Mr. Hirschfeld is a member of the Bar Association of San Francisco, the State Bar of California (Labor and Employment Law Section), the Missouri Bar and the National Association of College and University Attorneys, and a Fellow of The College of Labor and Employment Lawyers, Inc.  Mr. Hirschfeld is the author of Stopping Sexual Harassment In The Workplace:  An Employer’s Guide and Conducting An Effective Internal Investigation.  He is the author or co-author of numerous publications including Office Romance: Are the rules changing?; Policymakers, Take Note: The Force Is With Workplace Bloggers; Stopping Sexual Harassment:  An Employer’s Guide; Workplace Bullying: The Next Legal Frontier? and Workers Behaving Badly.  He was a contributing author for The CEO Contract:  Creating a Winning Partnership and How ADR Works.  Mr. Hirschfeld was named by Who’s Who Legal – Management Labor and Employment Law, Human Resource Executive and Lawdragon, The Expert Guide and AsiaLaw as one of the top  labor and employment lawyers in the United States.  He is listed in Northern California Super Lawyers 2007 and 2008.  He is regularly quoted and featured in publications such as The San Francisco Chronicle, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, San Jose Mercury News and the Chronicle of Higher Education as well as contributing to national and local television and radio programs regarding labor and employment law issues.  He received his B.A., summa cum laude, from St. Lawrence University (Phi Beta Kappa) and his J.D. from The George Washington University Law School.