Independent workplace investigations for employment lawyers advising small organizations, nonprofits and boards in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario.
Particularly the files that are too small or too human for your own team: a complaint about an executive director, a party on a mental health leave, or a neurodivergent participant.
Through counsel. You retain me, the investigation is conducted to inform your legal advice, and the report is delivered to you rather than to the organization.
Directly by the organization. The organization retains me for a factual report that may be disclosed, and counsel remains separate.
A factual investigation report does not attract solicitor-client privilege automatically, so the pathway is chosen deliberately, on your advice, before work begins.
Terms of reference agreed before any interview. A written process document for every participant. Interviews recorded with consent on a device not connected to cloud storage, and transcribed. A log of every accommodation provided.
Findings of fact on a balance of probabilities, with occurrence kept separate from characterisation, and an assessment against the policy and the regulatory frameworks that apply. Liability, severance and decisions about discipline stay with the organization and with you.
The summary is written for the reader who will only read the summary, and the body is the evidence behind it. I am comfortable being cross-examined on process, and the file is documented on that assumption from the first interview.
Investigations are billed hourly at $325 per hour against a written estimate, with a reduced rate for registered non-profits and charities. Time is itemized by activity on every invoice, and you are told in writing before an estimate is exceeded.
For a matter where it is not yet clear a full investigation is warranted, the Preliminary Review and Assessment is a fixed fee of $2,950.
A one-page profile you can keep on file until you need it. Download the profile, or ask for it to be sent.
A confidential conflicts check comes first, before any detail that would create one.
Counsel can retain me so the investigation informs legal advice and the report goes to counsel. Whether privilege attaches is a legal question, so the pathway is chosen on your advice before work begins.
A conflicts check and scoping call within one business day of first contact. Most investigations begin within three to five business days of a signed engagement.
Only where requested. Any recommendation involving discipline comes with the advice that the organization consult counsel before acting, and the decision rests with the organization.