Associate Member

Tara has more than 10 years’ experience of conducting complex, lengthy and sensitive investigations in workplace settings. She has worked for clients across a wide range of sectors from charities to finance and other regulated businesses.

Tara is skilled at conducting investigations involving joint complaints and multiple allegations made by teams and large numbers of employees across organisations. She has also undertaken general cultural reviews of organisations. Her experience includes working as a sole investigator and as part of a larger team.

Tara is also an experienced workplace mediator and has supported numerous individuals and teams to work through sensitive and damaging conflicts. She has done this through formal mediation, facilitated conversations and conflict coaching. Tara has a flexible and pragmatic approach which involves responding to the needs of each situation in creative ways.

As an unregistered barrister, Tara’s investigation and mediation work is not regulated by the Bar Standards Board and she does not provide any legal services to clients. Her sole role is to undertake an impartial investigation or mediation for a client, alongside (but separate from) any related legal advice and litigation.

Rachel is an Associate Member at 11KBW who specialises in investigations. Her experience covers a broad range of workplace issues (including allegations of bullying, discrimination and victimisation) across different sectors. Her background in public law (including a strong focus on education law, regulation, information law, health and community care) also gives her the knowledge and skills to work in many other investigation contexts, including those relating to university students, schools, public sector service provision, governance and culture reviews. Recent investigations have involved a student complaint of sexual harassment by a university tutor, a headteacher’s complaint of bullying by a school governor, and a student complaint of sexual harassment and stalking by a fellow student.

Whilst she qualified as, and used to practise as, a barrister, Rachel does not provide any legal services to clients and her investigation work is not covered by many of the rules which regulate practising barristers. Her sole role is to undertake an impartial investigation for a client. That work will usually be undertaken alongside (but separate from) related legal advice and litigation services, but she will not be involved in any way in that legal advice or litigation service.

Rachel works closely with clients to agree terms of reference for each investigation, ensuring that there is as much clarity as possible from the outset about not only the scope of the investigation, but also the likely number of interviews and the proposed format for her report. During an investigation, she has the experience to identify quickly any issues affecting the scope of the investigation and she keeps in regular touch with clients. She is sensitive to the impact of an investigation on all involved, working hard to balance the needs for a timely resolution and a proportionate investigation. Given her impartial investigative role and broad experience of communicating with people from different backgrounds in a range of sensitive situations, she is well-placed to build trust and have the important discussions in interviews. She is equally effective at analysing large volumes of documents. Her reports are clearly written, answering the relevant questions and (where requested) making practical and insightful recommendations.