Amy loves doing investigations because she is curious, fearless about asking questions and tends to see all sides of things.
Experience
Amy is a leading expert in the field of workplace investigations. She has more than 40 years of experience in employment law, as an attorney, investigator, arbitrator, mediator and trainer. She has worked with and for a large range of employers and employees – public and private, large and small – throughout the country. She is also a retired administrative law judge.
Her areas of expertise include preventing workplace harassment and responding to allegations of harassment, investigating workplace harassment, discrimination, retaliation, whistleblower claims, diversity in the workplace, how unconscious bias impacts decision-making and other forms of workplace misconduct. Amy frequently does public speaking on these issues.
Amy has investigated hundreds of workplace complaints, including complaints against elected officials, CEOs, founders of startups and board members. She has testified as an expert witness more than 70 times and also as a fact witness regarding her own investigations. She has trained public and private employers in how to investigate workplace complaints, sexual harassment prevention and implicit bias.
Amy led the founding of the Association of Workplace Investigators (AWI), helped develop the association’s curriculum and served as its Chair for several years.
Outside the Office
Amy’s first love is the theater. Now that she has had a long and happy career in the law, she has gone back to it – doing solo performing and improv classes. She also loves to travel, especially to places that feel very different from the United States.
Related Publications
Archived Publications
- “Uncovering Solutions” The Daily Journal, Feature, March 8, 2021
- “The Global #MeToo Movement,” Full Court Press, contributor, 2020.
- “Former Reformation CEO Deemed Not ‘Racist’ as Workplace Reckoning Continues,” Business of Fashion magazine, commentary, October 16, 2020
- “The Meaning of ‘Due Process’ in Harassment Investigations,” California Labor & Employment Law Review, Volume 33, No. 6, co-author, November 2019.
- “Workplace Harassment Investigations Worldwide,” AWI Journal, Vol 10 No. 3, author, September 2019.
- “Guidelines for Responding to Sexual Harassment in the Workplace: An Update,” California Labor & Employment Law Review, Volume 32, No. 2, co-author, March 2018.
- “How Arbitrators and Advocates Can Understand and Avoid Unconscious Bias and Stereotyping,” Arbitration 2015, Privacy, Transparency, Legitimacy, Proceedings of the Sixty-Eight Annual Meeting, National Academy of Arbitrations, BNA, author, 2016.
- “Unconscious Biases: What We Don’t Know Can Hurt Us – and Others,” California Labor & Employment Law Review, Volume 29, No. 6, author, November 2015.
- “Understanding and Eliminating Bias in Investigations,” CAOWI Quarterly, Vol 2 No. 1 and 2, author, 2011. Investigating Workplace Harassment and Discrimination, Employee Relations Law Journal, Vol. 29, No. 4, author, Spring 2004.
- “The Do’s and Don’ts of Investigating Workplace Harassment,” PIHRA Scope, Professionals in Human Resources Association, author, February 2004.
- “Experts May Testify on Harassment Policies and Procedures of Employer,” San Francisco Daily Journal, author, December 11, 2003.
- Using Liability Experts in Sexual Harassment Cases, Sexual Harassment Litigation Reporter, Volume 9, Issue 10, author, October 2003.
- Making the Best Use of Liability Experts in Discrimination and Harassment Litigation, Employment Litigation Reporter, Volume 18, Issue 5, author, October 14, 2003.
- Investigating Workplace Harassment: Ten Steps to Success, You and the Law Newsletter, author, October 2002.
- Investigating Workplace Harassment: How to Be Fair, Thorough, and Legal, co-author, Society of Human Resource Management, 2002.
- “The Aftermath of Faragher and Ellerth – The Impact on Pre-trial Discovery and the Use of Liability Experts in Sexual Harassment Cases,” Conference materials NELA Convention, author, June 2000.
- “Employment Discrimination and Harassment”, Chapter 40B of California Torts, Levy, Golden & Sacks, Editors, Matthew Bender & Co., author, September 1999.
- “Liability Lesson: The Use of an Employment expert In Sexual Harassment Cases can help Jurors Understand the Reasonableness of Investigatory Processes”, Los Angeles Daily Journal and San Francisco Daily Journal, author, May 21, 1999.
- “Investigating Sexual Harassment: A Practical Guide to Resolving Complaints”, published by Thompson Publishing Group, Washington D.C., contributor, 1998.
- “She Said, They Said – To protect themselves from liability for sexual harassment, employers should examine the numerous legal guidelines”, California Law Business, Supplement to the Los Angeles Daily Journal and San Francisco Daily Journal, author, March 9, 1998.