Criminal Background Checks

EEOC Guidance on Criminal Records

By Debra Reilly on September 16, 2009

I recently attended an EEOC Training Seminar in Pasadena where Maurice Emsellem, Esq., Director of the Second Chance Labor Project and National Employment Law Project provided an enlightening discussion on how criminal background checks have a disparate impact on people of color, California African American job applicants in particular. An interesting fact is that…

Throughout her 30-year legal career, Debra L. Reilly has conducted over 900 internal workplace investigations for various counties, municipalities (including police departments and fire departments), water districts, sanitation districts, transportation authorities, public and private elementary schools (K-12), private and public colleges and universities, the United States Postal Service (holding a “sensitive” security clearance by the Postal Inspector’s Office), and a multitude of private sector employers . Debra has conducted employment investigations throughout the United States and California. She has testified in depositions, arbitrations, and trial concerning the findings of her investigations. Given her legal training and litigation experience representing both management and employees, Ms. Reilly’s investigations are impartial, objective, and thorough. Ms. Reilly has also testified as an expert witness in Human Resources standard practices in conducting harassment and discrimination investigations, as well as Human Resources standard practices in conducting reasonable accommodation assessments of disabled employees and engaging in the interactive process.