Philippe Danesi
Partner"Philippe is solid... He has high-quality analysis skills and business vision... he is very sharp on the law, and he has a good vision of what we need to achieve."
Client, Chambers Europe 2024
Philippe Danesi helps national and multinational clients with all aspects of employment law, particularly the employment aspects of complex restructuring operations and related litigation.
He has in-depth knowledge of issues that arise with working time and work-related psychological risks, and particular experience in the IT, aviation, life sciences and transport sectors.
Philippe has specific experience in negotiating and implementing social plans, outsourcing, transfer of undertakings, post-merger/acquisition integration, collective departure plans, and collective performance agreements. He also focuses on the negotiation and implementation of working time strategies and collective bargaining agreements, and the negotiation and establishment of European works councils.
He assists clients with crisis situations and related collective litigation, and with monitoring collective and strategic negotiation with employee-union representatives and governmental authorities on major collective topics. He represents clients before labour, civil, criminal and administrative courts in France.
He also advises clients on structuring complex staff representation organizations, data protection issues, whistleblowing and internal investigations, and on the exit negotiation of top-tier managers and corporate officers, either on a collective or individual basis.
Philippe recently advised a leading global express delivery, courier and shipping company on several significant restructurings of its functions and operations, which involved transformation and collective dismissals aimed at safeguarding competitiveness. He accompanied the group in France through every stage of the restructures, including preparation for and announcement of the projects, internal and external communications, relations with the French Labor Administration, procedures with employee representatives, negotiation with trade unions, and implementation.
He also recently supported a key player in the e-mobility and gig economy sector in France on a range of matters, from guidance on its initial set-up to growth and expansion in the EU market, including advice on tax, corporate and regulatory issues.
Philippe led DLA Piper’s employment team in France from 2015 to 2024. He was elected member of the International Board in 2020 and was a member until he became Managing Partner for France in November 2021. He has a particular interest in ESG matters and assists an increasing number of clients in this area, particularly the social aspects.
EXPERIENCE
Philippe's experience includes advising:
- A leading global express delivery, courier and shipping company on several significant restructurings of its functions and operations, involving transformation and collective dismissals aimed at safeguarding competitiveness. Philippe accompanied the group in France through every stage of the restructures, including preparation for and announcement of the projects, internal and external communications, relations with the French Labor Administration, procedures with employee representatives, negotiation with trade unions, and implementation.
- A leading US global pharmaceutical company and provider of consumer self-care products (with more than 9,000 people globally) on integration, organizational design and the related social plan following the acquisition of a leading European healthcare group controlled and managed by French-based legal entities and top management. This involved consultation with multiple staff representative bodies on the economic, operational and social aspects of the project.
- A key player in the e-mobility and gig economy sector in France on a range of matters, from guidance on its initial set-up through to growth and expansion in the EU market, including advice on tax, corporate and regulatory issues.
- A US company before various jurisdictions on co-employment/fraud claims amounting to a total of more than EUR80 million and concerning more than 550 employees. All claims were dismissed at either first instance or appeal.
- Several companies on investigations into harassment, discrimination claims and whistleblowing.
- A multinational technology company on the restructuring of its field sales team in France. This was in response to the impact of COVID-19, changing consumer habits, new competitors and the launch of a new business sector. The restructure needed to take place simultaneously with, and be identical to, others taking place in the client’s other operating countries, and with the same pace of implementation as those in common law countries, all requiring a high level of responsiveness.
- A project management, engineering and construction company in the energy industry on a significant litigation matter. The plaintiffs were two unions and the Works Council (CSE). The issues related to psychosocial risk factors and suicides, assessment and action planning, medical service at work, working hours and overtime, collective bargaining agreement negotiation, and a EUR600,000 damages claim.
- A leading metal packaging company on its restructuring. This involved a gradual shutdown of one site, the implementation of a social plan, and a redeployment of production to other sites.
- English
- French
University of Paris XII Paris-Diderot, Master's degree (DESS) in business law
- Specialized degree in Labour Law
Awards and recognitions
Employment team recognition
- Tier 2, Legal 500 EMEA 2024
Individual recognitions
- Band 3, Employment, France, Chambers Europe for over 20 years
- Recognized by Best Lawyers – Labor and Employment – 2020-24
- DLA Piper France recognized in Palmarès des Meilleurs Cabinets d'Avocats [Best law firms] 2022, Le Point, France
- "It is always good to be able to work with Philippe; he is very easy to work with. He is very efficient, straight to the point and offers interesting, innovative strategies." Chambers Europe 2023
Publications and Media
- Article Expertise du CSE dans les consultations récurrentes : dernières précisions de la Cour de cassation sur le droit d’accès aux informations et l’étendue de la mission de l’expert - Option Finance, December 2023
- Article: Le droit d’accès aux informations et l’étendue de la mission de l’expert du CSE lors des consultations récurrentes, Option Droit & Affaires, October 2023
- Interview: ANDRH, November 2022
- Co-author of DLA Piper's white papers: Digital guide II – the impact of digital transformation on sectors, 2019 and Digital guide III – the impact of artificial intelligence on sectors, July 2022
- Interview: DLA Piper: une forte couverture internationale, une expertise sectorielle pointue, et une âme entrepreneuriale, Le Point, 25 April 2022
- Video interview: Le Grand Entretien, Bsmart, March 2022
- Blog post: COVID-19 Vademecum : Dispositions exceptionnelles pour faire face à l'épidémie de COVID-19 (Mis à jour le 16 avril 2020), April 2020
- Blog post: Alerte COVID-19 en France: Ordonnance du 25 mars 2020 portant mesures d’urgence en matière de congés payés, de durée du travail et de jours de repos, March 2020
- Blog post: Quelques réponses simples et concrètes aux employeurs sur la gestion de la crise du COVID-19, March 2020
- Article:The “labor-friendly” start-up nation: insights on some of the new measures for e-mobility digital apps from the law on mobility orientations, February 2020
- Doing business in France, Thomson Reuters – Practical Law, February 2019
Memberships And Affiliations
- Member of AvoSial (Avocats d’entreprise en droit social), a syndicate of employment lawyers in France with over 500 members
- Elected as a member of the DLA Piper International Board, 2020
