Association of Workplace Investigators, Inc.

Marilou F. Mirkovich is a partner in the Cerritos office of Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Rudd & Romo. She represents employers in all aspects of labor relations and employment law. Ms. Mirkovich focused on defending discrimination claims in federal and state courts and handles matters pending before the EEOC, DFEH, and FEHC. In addition to her employment practice, Ms. Mirkovich serves as the firm's lead investigator on numerous public and private sector matters. She served as President of the Board of Directors for the Community Family Guidance Center. She has been an active participant in the HIV and AIDS Legal Services Alliance (HALSA). Ms. Mirkovich has also been on the Board of Directors for the Friends of the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts.

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Welcome to AWI

The Association of Workplace Investigators, Inc. (AWI) is the only professional association for people who do workplace investigations. This includes professionals from many fields--attorneys, human resources, private investigators, auditors, security and loss prevention specialists, and threat assessors. AWI is the place to come together to network, establish best practices, and train and educate the public and each other about what we do.

2012 Training Institute

We invite you to attend our National Training Institute for Workplace Investigators

Monday June 25, 2012 - Friday June 29, 2012, Doubletree/Hilton Mission Valley Hotel, San Diego, California

The first-of-its-kind, intensive, five-day course leading to a Certificate of Completion!

In keeping with our mission to promote and enhance workplace investigations, we are presenting a national-level, intensive Training Institute for Workplace Investigators in beautiful San Diego. Upon completion of this challenging program, we will certify that the participant has completed what promises to become the gold standard for training in our industry. Class size will be limited so every participant will have personalized, hands-on training from the Institute's experienced faculty.

The curriculum covers the full range of issues from the initiation of an investigation to its conclusion. Training sessions incorporate interactive opportunities and practical advice. Valuable written materials will be provided. Many faculty members will be available during the entire week, providing you with the opportunity to learn informally from some of the best workplace investigators in the country. This program has been approved for 30 hours of MCLE credit, including 1 hour of legal ethics and 1 hour of eliminating bias. 37.5 hours of HRCI credit is pending.

Tuition for members, including continental breakfast and lunch each day, is $1595 for enrollment by May 15, 2012, and $1795 thereafter. Attendance is limited to 50. AWI Members click here to register. Non-AWI Members click here to register. Click here to view the Institute brochure. Click here to view the Institute Faculty. Click here to view the Institute Curriculum. Click here to make hotel reservations.

May 16, 2012 1 to 2 pm PDT (20:00 to 21:00 GMT) Live & Recorded Webinar

The "Good Enough" Investigation: How to Meet Standards While Controlling Costs

Amy Oppenheimer Donna Peter

Amy Oppenheimer & Donna Peter

MCLE 1 Hour Approved for Live & Recorded

HRCI 1 Hour Approved for Live Only

AWI Members Register $75

Non-AWI Members Register $100

6 Webinar Series Members $250 Non-Members $400

As investigators we want to do our best. As the employer hiring an investigator we want a defensible investigation but we also cannot forget about the bottom line and may fear that the costs of the investigation (both the bill and the fallout) will be too much to bear. Sometimes the "best" investigation would be unreasonably expensive and time consuming, given the allegations we are investigating. The Cotran and Silva cases set forth that a good faith and reasonable investigation is all that is needed for an employer to be immune from liability for wrongful termination. This webinar explores the law relating to standards for investigations and then discusses what is needed for the "good enough" investigation.

2012 Webinar Series

May 1, 2012 1 to 2 pm PDT (20:00 to 21:00 GMT) Building a Workplace Investigations Practice Presented by Michael Robbins and Rhoma Young

May 16, 2012 1 to 2 pm PDT (20:00 to 21:00 GMT) The "Good Enough" Investigation: How to Meet Standards While Controlling Costs Presented by Amy Oppenheimer and Donna Peter

July 11, 2012 1 to 2 pm PDT (20:00 to 21:00 GMT) When Employment Investigations Turn Criminal Presented by John Lohse, Cynthia Remmers and Keith Rohman

August 15, 2012 1 to 2 pm PDT (20:00 to 21:00 GMT) Investigating Complaints of Disability Discrimination Presented by Marilou Mirkovich and Patti Perez

September 13, 2012 1 to 2 pm PDT (20:00 to 21:00 GMT) They Feel Threatened and Unsafe--Now What? The Practical and Defensible Why, What and How in Workplace Violence Investigations Presented by Jim Cawood

October 24, 2012 1 to 2 pm PDT (20:00 to 21:00 GMT) Weingarten and Other Sorrows: What to Do When Your Witness Requests Representation Presented by Robert Bonsall, Lisa Ryan and Debra Hinshaw Vierra

AWI Members Register $250

Non-AWI Members Register $400

CA State Bar Labor & Employment Section Members $325

State Bar Seal Co-Sponsored by the

State Bar of California

Labor & Employment Section

Letter from the Editor April 2012 AWI Quarterly

By Debra L. Reilly, Editor, AWI Quarterly

Debra L. Reilly With the lead articles of this issue focusing on sexual harassment investigations and expert witness testimony, it made me think back to some of the more famous workplace sexual harassment cases we have seen in the United States. The first sexual harassment decision in the U.S. came down in 1976 in the Williams v. Saxbe case where the U.S. District Court recognized sexual harassment as a form of sex discrimination when sexual advances by a male supervisor towards a female employee, if proven, would be deemed an artificial barrier to employment placed before one gender and not another.

Former US Attorney Russoniello to Keynote Annual Conference

Investigating in the Big Leagues: From Barry Bonds to Child Pornography, a US Attorney's Perspective

Joseph P Russoniello Former US Attorney for the Northern District of California Joseph P. Russoniello will deliver the keynote address at the 2012 annual conference of the Association of Workplace Investigators, Inc. (AWI). His topic will be Investigating in the Big Leagues: From Barry Bonds to Child Pornography, a US Attorney's Perspective.

Mr. Russoniello served two terms as US Attorney for the Northern District of California in San Francisco, from 1982 to 1990 (appointed by President Reagan), and from 2008 to 2010 (appointed by President George W. Bush). Between his two terms he was Senior Counsel and resident with Cooley Godward Kronish LLP in San Francisco, Dean of the San Francisco Law School, and a member of the National Review Board for the Protection of Children and Young People of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

"We are extremely excited that former US Attorney Russoniello will keynote our annual conference," says Julie Moore, a Massachusetts attorney and AWI's annual conference chair. "His expertise in investigating high profile criminal and civil cases was the main criterion in his selection, and we are delighted to have him join us," Ms. Moore said.

AWI's 2012 annual conference will be held November 1-3, 2012 at the Oakland Marriott City Center Hotel in Downtown Oakland, California. The conference will begin with a pre-conference session on the afternoon of Thursday November 1, continue all day and into the evening Friday November 2, and wind up on Saturday afternoon, November 3. AWI is currently seeking sponsors for the conference. Click here for the sponsor form.

AWI is a 350-member professional association of attorneys, private investigators, human resources professionals, and others who conduct workplace investigation. AWI was founded in 2009 in California, and now has members in 16 states and one other country, Australia.

For further information about AWI or its annual conference, go to its website www.aowi.org, e-mail info@aowi.org, or call (916) 760-2442.