Event Details

North Star SHRM will be hosting a seminar titled: Staying in Bounds:  A discussion of best practices and recent legal developments in the ever-changing world of workplace investigations.  It will be held at the Minnesota School of Business (11500 193^rd Avenue, Elk River) on Wednesday, September 9, 2015 from 8 am to 9:30 am. All North Star SHRM members are invited to attend.  In addition, all Elk River and I-94 West Chamber members, and Minnesota School of Business students are invited to attend.  There is no cost to attend.

The target audience for this seminar is HR professionals and any small business owners.  This presentation will identify key practices, strategies for gathering facts, interviewing parties and witnesses, and preparing reports.  An overview of common mistakes will also be discussed.

  Learning objectives are:

• WHY INVESTIGATE?  Understanding the underlying laws that exist is the first step in deciding whether or not to investigate.  Does John Doe’s action constitute discrimination?  Are there common law tort theories that apply?  Additionally, identifying the business reasons as well as the goals of the investigation are also important.  Knowing when and why to investigate will help you down the right path.
• POST-COMPLAINT, PRE-INTERVIEW STEPS.  A prerequisite to the employer’s ability to conduct a timely investigation is for the employer to receive prompt information about matters to be investigated.  In order to encourage the reporting of matters that may become subject of investigations, employers should create a corporate culture that encourages employees to come forward with complaints.
• BEST PRACTICES FOR CONDUCTING AN INVESTIGATION.  An effective workplace investigation requires both training and planning.  This presentation will provide tips on deciding who should/should not conduct the investigation, pre-interview preparation, conducting interviews, interviewing the complaining party, interviewing the accused, interviewing third-party witnesses, resolving credibility, and more.

This seminar will be presented by Cynthia A. Bremer, Shareholder, Ogletree Deakins. 

Education:

J.D., Washington University School of Law, 1994

B.A., cum laude, Carlton College, 1990

Practice Areas:

Litigation, Class Action, Employment Law, Wage and Hour, Higher Education

Cynthia is the managing shareholder of the Minneapolis office.  Cynthia has extensive experience in employment law and complex litigation matters.  Her practice focuses on representing corporations and corporate management in all types of employment law matters.  While Cynthia’s primary focus has been employment litigation defense in federal and state courts throughout the Midwest, including class and collective actions, Cynthia also advises companies on critical employment law issues involving past and present employees.  In addition to extensive litigation and advising experience in employment law, Cynthia’s experience also includes securities arbitrations, commercial and civil litigation, and intellectual property litigation.

Prior to entering private practice in Minneapolis in 1999, Cynthia was in private practice in North Dakota.  While in North Dakota, Cynthia was also a Special Assistant Attorney General for the State of North Dakota and represented the State in dozens of administrative hearings and appeals.

Certification credit is avaialble for both General HRCI credit and SHRM's certification for SHRM-SCP and SHRM-CP.