Welcome to Behind the Screens

Les Rosen is the host of Behind the Screens and a respected figure in the background screening industry. With more than three decades of experience, Les brings a wealth of knowledge and a unique perspective to each episode. His passion for uncovering the human stories behind background checks makes him the perfect guide for our listeners. Les’s dedication to the industry and his ability to connect with guests on a personal level ensure that every conversation is both informative and engaging.

Les served as the chairperson of the steering committee that founded NAPBS in 2002 and elected to the first board of directors and served as the co-chairman in 2004. In 2019, he was awarded the lifetime achievement award by the association.

Les is the author of “The Safe Hiring Manual–Complete Guide to Employment Screening Background Checks for Employers, Recruiters and Jobseekers”, a comprehensive book on employment screening. The book was originally published in 2004 and is currently available in its third edition. In addition, Les has authored numerous articles and whitepapers on pre-employment screenings throughout his career. He has been interviewed and quoted in numerous publications, including USA Today, Christian Science Monitor, Washington Times, Business Week, US News and World Report, Reuters, and others.

He has spoken at numerous regional and national conferences on the topic of background checks and safe hiring, including the national conferences for ASIS and for national and regional conferences for the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM). Les has presented at numerous Annual SHRM Conferences as well as Talent Management and Law and Legislation Conferences. Les also served on the committee that formulated the ASIS Guidelines for Background Investigations as well as the revised version of the guidelines.

He has testified in the California Superior Court as an expert witness on two occasions and in the Arkansas Superior Court and Florida Superior Court as an expert witness on issues surrounding safe hiring and due diligence.

Les is a former deputy District Attorney with the Riverside County District Attorney’s office (Riverside, California) where his cases included homicides and other serious felonies including child molestation prosecutions. Prior to that he was a civil litigation attorney with a law firm in Southern California.

He taught at the Hastings College of the Law Trial Advocacy program for 10 years from 1985 to 1995 and served as an adjunct professor at Hastings College of the Law teaching Criminal Procedure, spring 1987, and Criminal Law, Fall 1989.

Les practiced criminal defense in Northern California from 1986 to 1995 and his jury trials have included murder, death penalty and federal cases.

He graduated from UCLA with Phi Beta Kappa honors in 1973 and received a J.D. degree from the University of California at Davis, serving on the Law Review. Les holds an attorney rating of A.V. in the national Martindale-Hubbell listing of American Attorneys.

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