Your trusted workplace investigator.
Balancing legal requirements with a commitment to fairness and respect.
Equity, objectivity, and compliance.
Our workplace investigations prioritize your organization's legal obligations while promoting a respectful workplace culture.
What We Do
Fair and thorough investigations for organizations and learning institutions.
Businesses, educational institutions, and non-profits share a growing desire for a unified culture that prioritizes dignity and respect for all. Unfortunately, however, misconduct within these organizations is becoming an increasingly common occurrence. The best defense to claims of such misconduct is compliance with the law -- conducting an immediate, thorough, and unbiased investigation that allows you to promptly address these claims and, if required, take remedial action.
Our team at Impartial Investigations is committed to supporting your organization in fulfilling your legal responsibilities to promptly investigate claims of misconduct by providing an independent and objective perspective on the matter, free of bias or conflicts of interest. We bring specialized expertise and experience to the investigation, including knowledge of legal requirements and best practices for conducting investigations.
Our investigation will enable you to gain a comprehensive understanding of the facts, circumstances, and context of a complaint. We will provide you an evidence-based conclusion which will enable you to make a well-informed decision on how to address the complaint appropriately.
Who We Are
Karen Herz
Principal Investigator & Founder
As the founder and Principal Investigator of Impartial Investigations, Karen Herz is an experienced attorney investigator who has the critical expertise, broad range of experience and a comprehensive approach to conducting impartial investigations in workplaces, educational institutions and non-profit organizations.
Karen has dedicated her career to helping individuals and organizations navigate the complexities of the workplace. She comes to Impartial Investigations with over 30 years of combined employment law, training, and talent development experience. Karen began her career as an attorney with Littler, the largest global labor and employment management-side law firm, where she gained invaluable knowledge and experience preventing and defending claims of workplace misconduct. As part of the corporate litigation team at Aon Corporation, she handled a California employment litigation caseload from complaint through trial or settlement. Karen returned to Littler to continue her career focusing on recruiting, retention, training & development and diversity and inclusion initiatives. She has a passion for talent development and understands that a company’s success depends on the skills and abilities of its employees.
Karen is an Association of Workplace Investigators certified investigator (AWI-CI) who thoroughly understands the process and importance of conducting impartial professional workplace, school and/or education program investigations. She acts as a neutral fact finder to assist your organization in getting the facts concerning employee conduct or Title IX allegations to ensure you are complying with policy and state and federal law.
As an experienced labor and employment law attorney, Karen has a deep understanding of the legal framework that governs the workplace; she knows what to look for, what questions to ask as well as what questions to avoid to ensure the investigation is legally sound. Although she is a licensed California employment attorney, she will not be acting as legal counsel to your organization, thus permitting her to avoid potential conflicts and, if necessary, to testify as to the legal sufficiency of the investigation.
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Marlene Schwartz
Investigator
Marlene Schwartz is an experienced California lawyer who has made a significant career transition from healthcare law to workplace investigations. Marlene spent many years representing healthcare organizations and medical professionals in legal matters involving employment contracts and compliance with healthcare regulations. Throughout her career, she became increasingly aware of the importance of workplace fairness and the impact it has on individuals and organizations. She shifted her legal expertise into this specialized area with a desire to foster positive work cultures and to ensure fair and inclusive work environments.
Utilizing her legal knowledge and analytical skills to conduct workplace investigations, Marlene brings a unique perspective to the field. Her background in dealing with sensitive and confidential information, coupled with her ability to remain objective and impartial, makes Marlene an ideal investigator. She is adept at conducting interviews, gathering evidence, and analyzing data to present a clear and unbiased picture of any workplace situation.
Although she is a licensed California attorney, she will not be acting as legal counsel to your organization, thus permitting her to avoid potential conflicts and, if necessary, to testify as to the legal sufficiency of the investigation.