About Debra Reilly


Throughout her 20-year legal career, Debra L. Reilly has conducted well over four hundred workplace investigations for various Municipalities, Districts, Authorities, the United States Postal Service (holding a “sensitive” security clearance by the Postal Inspector’s Office), and a multitude of private sector employers (including Fortune 100 companies).   Debra has conducted employment investigations throughout California, but more particularly in Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, and Riverside Counties.  She has testified in depositions, arbitrations, and trial concerning the findings of her investigations, all of which have been upheld by the triers of fact (arbitrators and juries). She has qualified as an expert witness and testified as to best practices in conducting sexual harassment investigations. Given her legal training and added litigation experience representing both sides of a case (management and employees), Ms. Reilly’s investigations are objective and thorough.

Debra is a graduate of the University of San Diego School of Law and is a certified Senior Professional of Human Resources.  Debra sits on the Board of Directors of the California Association of Workplace Investigators.  She is the Chair and Lead Editor of its Publications Committee, which publishes a Quarterly Newsletter for members of the Association. 

Debra published articles on employment law and authored a quarterly newsletter on federal and state employment issues while she was an attorney at Murtaugh Miller Meyer & Nelson of Orange County for eight years.  She is a member of the San Diego County Bar Association and its Labor and Employment Law section.   She is a member of the State Bar of California, including its Labor and Employment Law section. She is a member of the North County Personnel Association of San Diego and the San Diego Society for Human Resources Management.  

Debra is available to conduct workplace investigations state-wide and does not charge for her out-of-county travel time.

Debra can be reached by email at debra@wpinvestigations.com.

Practice Areas

  • Workplace Investigations of Employee Harassment and Other Misconduct
  • Expert Witness Testimony concerning Workplace Investigations
  • Wage and Hour Audits
  • Mediation of Employment Disputes (pre- and post-litigation)

Professional Associations

  • California Association of Workplace Investigators
  • California Bar Association and its Labor and Employment Law section
  • San Diego County Bar Association and its Labor and Employment Law section
  • San Diego Society for Human Resource Management
  • North County Personnel Association of San Diego

 Recent Legal Training and Certifications

  • SPHR Certification, Human Resources Certification Institute, January 2010
  • State Bar of California, How to Conduct Employment Investigations, October 2009
  • State Bar of California, Sexual Harassment Investigations: Conducting Them, Attacking Them, and Pitfalls with Witnesses, October 2009
  • State Bar of California, Retaliation Under Title VII and FEHA, October 2009
  • State Bar of California, Recent Developments in Statutory and Case Law, October 2009
  • State Bar of California, Recent Developments in Disability Discrimination, October 2009
  • State Bar of California, Religion, God in the Workplace, October 2009
  • State Bar of California, Employment Mediation in the 10's, October 2009
  • EEOC Training Institute, Technical Assistance Seminar, September 2009
  • Pepperdine University School of Law, Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, Mediating the Litigated Case (42 hours), 2008
  • State Bar of California, Labor and Employment Update, 2008
  • State Bar of California, Disability Discrimination, 2008
  • State Bar of California, Personnel Actions in the Public Sector, 2008
  • State Bar of California, Issues of Age Discrimination and the Baby Boomer Generation, 2008
  • EEOC Training Institute, Technical Assistance Program, 2008
  • State Bar of California, Employment Law in the Biotech Industry, 2008
  • State Bar of California, Internal Investigations on Trial: Plaintiff and Defense Perspectives, 2007
  • State Bar of California, Update on Wrongful Termination and Discrimination, 2007
  • State Bar of California, Regulating Private Behavior in the Workplace, 2007
  • EEOC Training Institute, EEO Complaint Process, 2007

 Recent Publications

  • Practice Pointers for Workplace Investigations, CAOWI Quarterly, January 2010, with Nancy Bornn
  • Resolving Bitterness and Wounded Feelings in the Office After a Workplace Investigations, CAOWI Quarterly, January 2010, with Ron S. Brand and Emily Camastra

Education

  • J.D., University of San Diego School of Law, 1989
    • Law Review: Comments and Note Editor, 1989
  • B.S., Brigham Young University, 1984

Bar Admissions

  • Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
  • U.S. District Court, Northern, Central, and Southern Districts of CA
  • State Bar of California since 1990

 

View Debra Reilly's profile on LinkedIn