Oppenheimer Investigations Group (OIG) announces the selection of Vida Thomas as the firm’s new managing partner. She succeeds Amy Oppenheimer, who will focus on strategic planning, including the mentorship of firm attorneys and staff, as well as client training, one-on-one coaching and investigations involving elected officials and public figures.
“I’m honored to take on the role of managing partner and look forward to building upon Amy’s impressive legacy. OIG has pioneered the field of workplace investigations and has established itself as a thought leader in this space,” said Thomas. “As we move forward, OIG will remain at the forefront of our industry, using our school and workplace investigations to help employers and educational institutions to provide safe and respectful spaces, and by enhancing our related neutral services to help clients maintain constructive organizational culture. I look forward to working alongside my esteemed colleagues to continue making a meaningful impact in this space.”
As managing partner, Thomas oversees OIG’s operations and will focus on achieving the firm’s goals for 2023, which includes focusing on building out Title IX investigations and Hearing Officer work, training, mediation and coaching services. Thomas leverages three decades of employment law experience to lead the firm. She has conducted hundreds of workplace investigations and has served as an expert witness in numerous state and federal employment lawsuits. Her DEI focus has become especially critical in the wake of recent social movements, such as #MeToo and Black Lives Matter. Thomas is sought out by entities across the state to address, uncover and correct root causes of conflict, with increasing requests for her to educate audiences on important related issues like unconscious bias. Her impact extends as far as Ethiopia, Tanzania and Kenya, where she has educated various organizations on ways to improve their legislation to protect workers. Prior to joining OIG, Thomas co-founded Carlsen Thomas, LLP, one of Sacramento’s first women-owned employment law firms.
“Vida is a trailblazer and a natural fit to lead OIG forward into its next phase. Her many years of experience at law firms combined with her approach to leadership and emphasis on mentorship make her uniquely qualified,” said Oppenheimer. “Having Vida at the helm ensures that OIG clients continue to receive top-notch service and expertise, and it raises the bar of excellence for the investigations field overall. It’s a perfect fit.”
What was originally a solo practice has grown into one of California’s largest law firms devoted exclusively to workplace and school investigations and training. After leaving her post as an administrative judge to pioneer this burgeoning field, Amy Oppenheimer founded the Law Offices of Amy Oppenheimer with the mission of raising the quality of impartial investigations. Following 25 years building on this niche practice, the firm relaunched in 2021 as Oppenheimer Investigations Group, dedicated to providing independent, third-party inquiries into claims of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, bullying and other misconduct. With the rebrand, OIG ushered in a new structure, adding Christina Ro-Connolly, Vida Thomas, Zaneta Siedel and Alezah Trigueros to the partnership. The all-women-led firm also added writing/editing staff and greater administrative support to manage the rapidly growing practice. Since 2020 when the partnership formalized, OIG has grown to 18 attorneys and additional staff, significantly bolstering its bench of highly qualified experts and enhancing client services. In addition to concentrating on impartial workplace and school investigations, OIG provides training, executive coaching, expert testimony and mediation services.
About Oppenheimer Investigations Group
Oppenheimer Investigations Group (OIG) is a premier investigations law firm focused on impartial workplace and school investigations as well as training, executive coaching, expert testimony, and mediation services. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, OIG investigates complaints of harassment, discrimination, retaliation, sexual assault, and other misconduct for public entities, private companies, and educational institutions throughout California. As impartial attorney investigators, OIG is committed to providing conscientious and expert investigative services to uncover the causes of conflict and help clients create and maintain safe, equitable, and harassment-free spaces for their staff and students. For more information, please visit www.oiglaw.com.
