Joëlle Hannelais
Partner
Joëlle Hannelais joined the firm in 2012. She previously practiced within Bredin-Prat (1987-1989), Moquet Borde & Associés (1989-2004) and Latournerie Wolfrom & Associés (2004-2012).
Joëlle is a recognized expert in labour and employment law, in particular restructuring and transfer transactions, mass redundancy schemes, employees’ representation and negotiations with unions.
Joëlle is also involved in the conduct of outsourced internal investigations following alerts concerning harassment, discrimination, unfair competition involving employees, in the event of breaches of internal ethics rules, and more generally in disciplinary matters. We intervene at all stages of the investigation: from the initial verification of allegations and the conduct of hearings, through to the drafting of the final report and its submission, together with recommendations in the event of any malfunctioning of internal procedures revealed by the investigation. We also advise companies on how to communicate the results of the investigation, both to the author(s) of the alert and to the employee(s) implicated.
Joëlle has wide experience in litigation, in particular before labour tribunals. Her considerable experience enables her to anticipate and prepare for possible disputes arising from transactions and to reduce potential adverse consequences.
Joëlle is a member of the Association des Avocats d’Entreprise en Droit Social (AVOSIAL), the European Employment Lawyers Association (EELA) and the American Bar Association (ABA).
• Employment relations and labour law – HR compliance and internal investigations
• Master I in Business and Tax Law (University of Paris II Panthéon-Assas), 1984
• Master II in Private International Law and International Trade Law (University of Paris II Panthéon-Assas), 1985
• Best Lawyers 2025: Recognized since 2023 in Labor and Employment Law
• Legal 500 EMEA 2024: Recognized in Employment
• Décideurs – Leaders League 2023 – Labor and Employment – Collective bargaining and social relations : “Highly recommended”
• Décideurs – Leaders League 2023 – Labor and Employment – Collective and individual compensation : “Highly recommended”
• Décideurs – Leaders League 2023 – Labor and Employment – Social management of M&As and social audits : “Highly recommended”
• Décideurs – Leaders League 2023 – Labor and Employment – High-risk individual litigation : “Highly recommended”
• Décideurs – Leaders League 2023 – Labor and Employment – Reorganizations, socials programs, and related litigation : “Recommended”
• Décideurs – Leaders League Leadership & Management du capital humain 2021: “Forte notoriété“
• Décideurs – Leaders League Human capital & Labor Law 2021: “Highly recommended“
- Lexology | Panoramic Next – Labour & Employment France 2025, November 11, 2025 – published on Lexology.
- Employment Ramifications of Whistleblowing: a French Perspective, August 2nd 2024 – published on Lexology.
- Quelle réaction adopter lorsqu’un salarié signale une situation de harcèlement au travail ?, July 8th, 2024 – published on LinkedIn (only available in French).
- Employees’ right to access to their personal data: what documents must the employer provide its employees who exercise this right ?, April 23rd 2024, published on Mondaq.
- Is the French legal approach to sexual harassment and sexism in the workplace so different from other countries ?, May 16th 2023, published on Mondaq, and on our website.
- Internal employment investigations in France: courts set the rules, January 24th, 2023, published on our website.
- Working time in France: a sensitive topic in social audits, January 20th, 2022, published on Lexology, and our website.
- Internal Employment Investigations in France, September 17th, 2021, published on Lexology, Mondaq, and our website.
- Terminating the employment relationship in France: what do employers need to know? July 26th, 2021, published on Lexology, Mondaq, and our website.
- Discretionary and target-based bonuses and French employment law: pay attention to the drafting of your clauses! May 20th, 2021, published on Lexology, Mondaq, and our website.
- Protection of privacy at work in France, Joëlle Hannelais and Sarah Machrhoul Lhotellier, April 16th, 2021, published on Lexology, Mondaq, and our website.
- Telework in France: before and after the Covid-19 pandemic, Joëlle Hannelais and Sarah Machrhoul Lhotellier, April 14th, 2021, published on Lexology, Mondaq, and our website.
