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Nonprofit: Workplace Investigations
Our attorneys have conducted and overseen hundreds of confidential and independent investigations involving the full range of workplace and operational issues, including allegations of harassment, discrimination, retaliation, whistleblowing, misconduct, financial improprieties, and code of conduct violations.
Indeed, effective and defensible investigations are also critical to meeting an employer’s legal obligations and often have the added benefit of shedding light on best (or worst) practices, systemic problems, and opportunities for improvement in personnel management and overall operations. The firm’s investigation practice helps nonprofits meet those critical obligations by advising clients when they work with outside investigators or conduct investigations internally. . We can provide support throughout the process, including defining the scope of investigation, investigations notice letters, interview outline preparation, analysis of the evidence and reaching findings, and drafting the report.
Our investigative practice also includes conducting investigations, primarily for organizations that are not already firm clients. However, we may also conduct investigations for current clients on a case-by-case basis depending upon the specific facts and allegations at issue.
Expertise
When working with nonprofit organizations, our approach to investigations is to help advise your internal human resource and compliance team members on how to conduct interviews, make credibility assessments, gather evidence, and prepare a detailed well reasoned report. These are all skills we have sharpened through our decades of employment and litigation experience, and that we impart onto your team members so they can conduct accurate, effective and defensible investigations. We can also advise on obtaining and working with outside investigators. Once an investigation is complete, LCW serves as a trusted legal advisor to nonprofit organizations, by providing strategic and thoughtful legal advice on how to meet any legal obligations arising out of investigation findings.
When working with nonprofit clients, we help them handle investigations of employment and personnel issues including employee misconduct, hostile environment, discrimination, retaliation, ethics violations, whistle-blowing, financial improprieties, and discipline-related issues. We have extensive experience helping nonprofits manage workplace investigations, including into alleged misconduct by board members and high-ranking employees.
When the Firm oversees an investigation by someone else, we work closely with the internal investigator and provide support in preparing for witness interviews, conducting witness interviews, gathering documents and evaluating the evidence so the investigation is effective, uncovers the information needed, meets legal obligations, and better positioned to withstand legal scrutiny.
In addition to conducting and overseeing investigations, we also teach others through workshops, publications, and workbooks. We regularly present workshops to investigators on how to conduct effective and defensible investigations. Accordingly, we can also train your in-house staff on how to effectively conduct their own investigations.