Workplace Investigations

Responding quickly and effectively to workplace complaints, including allegations of harassment, discrimination, or misconduct, is crucial for maintaining a positive employee experience, identifying problem personnel or gaps in training and procedures, and protecting your organization from reputational harm.

Constangy attorneys are well-equipped to help your organization navigate the intricacies of workplace investigations, prevent future misconduct in the workplace, and limit the risk of legal liability.

What Sets Us Apart

Constangy's workplace investigations team has successfully guided hundreds of organizations through complex investigations. We understand that objective, prompt, and thorough investigations are crucial for preserving employee morale, ensuring legal compliance, preventing litigation, and protecting our clients' reputations.

Our qualified attorneys bring extensive experience across various industries and organizational sizes, including private corporations, governmental entities, and colleges and universities around the country. Our team takes a client-centric approach that prioritizes personalized attention and innovative legal solutions tailored to each client's goals and business or institutional needs. For educational institutions, we have significant experience conducting investigations both within and outside of the Title IX space.

Our services extend beyond workplace investigations to include a wide range of employment law support, providing comprehensive legal assistance, engaging in climate and employee experience assessments, and other innovative approaches to information gathering and assessment of policy compliance concerns. Additionally, we emphasize proactive risk management, helping employers address potential issues before they escalate, thus reducing exposure to legal disputes and adverse workplace incidents.

What We Do

Our attorneys conduct thorough workplace investigations, ensuring fair and effective resolution of issues, including:

Investigative Strategy Development:

• Assess unique client requirements to craft tailored investigative strategies.
• Align strategies with industry, workforce dynamics, and specific concerns.
• Provide guidance on procedural steps, evidentiary considerations, and legal compliance to ensure investigation integrity and effectiveness.

Workplace Misconduct Investigations:

• Conduct comprehensive investigations into allegations of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, bullying, fraud, theft, misconduct, and unethical behavior.
• Maintain high standards of objectivity, fairness, and confidentiality.
• Ensure thorough fact-finding that supports appropriate resolutions.

Compliance and Employee Policy Recommendations:

• Offer proactive legal advice in designing and implementing effective workplace policies and practices.
• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws.
• Assist clients in creating a safe, respectful workplace environment where employees are equipped to address concerns.

Internal Training and Education:

• Provide training programs for HR professionals, managers, and employees.
• Focus on fostering awareness, promoting respect and inclusivity, and preventing workplace misconduct.
• Develop a proactive approach to minimize the need for investigations and reduce potential legal risks.

Representative Matters

• Led a six-month investigation of a governmental agency that included more than forty witnesses and twenty claims of discrimination, hostile work environment, confidentiality policy violations, misconduct, and various other policy violations.
• Conducted an investigation for a municipality agency alleging discrimination by an elected official.
• Led a three-month investigation of a state authority alleging claims of discrimination, harassment, and other policy violations.
• Led an investigation of a company President regarding allegations of long-term sexual harassment and retaliation.
• Led an investigation regarding allegations of sexual assault made by a third party against a company employee.
• Led an investigation of bullying and other misconduct by tenured faculty member toward graduate students and post-doctoral fellows.
• Conducted extensive investigation of allegations of racial harassment, including graffiti and nooses on a construction project.
• Conducted a sensitive investigation for a national corporation regarding claims of sexual assault, sexual harassment, and discrimination involving a C-suite employee.
• Investigated a complaint of age discrimination involving a top human resources executive at an international corporation.
• Conducted a climate assessment of a law school litigation clinic involving allegations of bullying and mismanagement by co-director affecting entire clinic staff.
• Conducted an investigation of alleged disability discrimination brought by a university staff member against the unit director.
• Investigated a complaint involving a high-level executive at a national corporation alleging corruption, harassment, and hostile work environment.
• Conducted a six-month investigation of a management team at a national corporation alleging ongoing claims of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and hostile work environment spanning more than ten years.
• Investigated allegations regarding theft and violations of company reimbursement and corporate credit card policies.
• Led a sensitive investigation of race discrimination and harassment, including allegations of the repeated use of racial slurs and epithets.
• Led an investigation involving allegations of discrimination, harassment, and other ethics violations of a contractor.
• Conducted investigation of President of non-profit organization regarding allegations of bullying and retaliation.
• Investigated allegations of embezzlement and theft through a phantom vendor fraudulent scheme.
• Conducted multiple investigations of alleged student, faculty and staff misconduct implicating university policies relating to sexual harassment subject to Title IX and other university policies prohibiting discrimination on the basis of other protected categories, including race, national origin, and shared ancestry.