William E. Hannum III

Will is a Partner at Schwartz Hannum PC. Prior to joining the Firm, Will was an associate in the Labor and Employment Law Section in the New York office of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP.

Will represents employers in the full spectrum of labor and employment law matters, and he represents independent schools, colleges and universities in a broad range of labor, employment, and education matters. Will also regularly counsels non-profit boards on governance issues, acting in the role of general counsel, and also leading board orientations and governance retreats.

In the area of labor and employment law, Will handles the full range of employment litigation, government investigations, labor relations and collective bargaining, employment counseling, and workplace investigations, as well as conducting workplace training on a broad range of labor and employment law topics. He has represented union and non-union employers (including for-profit and non-profit organizations) throughout the United States in a variety of industries, including communications, construction, education, entertainment, financial services, healthcare, insurance, retail, staffing and transportation.

In the area of education law, Will handles the full range of education law issues, including a full range of education litigation, government investigations, labor matters, education and employment counseling, and education investigations (including in particular Title IX investigations and investigations responding to reports of sexual abuse). Will also helps education clients with the full range of student and employee matters, risk management, compliance, and documentation ranging from employment contracts to handbooks to bullying prevention and intervention plans. Further, Will regularly provides training to educational institutions, addressing school governance with school boards, leading orientation for faculty and staff on appropriate boundaries, and educating students on topics such as bullying, cyber-bullying, and sexting.

Since 2012, Will has been recognized by Chambers USA as a leading attorney in Labor and Employment Law. In 2015 BTI Consulting recognized Will as a “BTI Client Service All-Star,” one of 29 labor and employment lawyers in the U.S. to receive such recognition. In 2016, he was recognized as a “BTI Client Service All-Star MVP.”

Will has also been selected as a Massachusetts Super Lawyer® as a top Labor and Employment attorney in Massachusetts every year since 2004.

Will is a frequent speaker and author on labor, employment and education law, including presentations at the American Employment Law Council, bar association and MCLE programs, Merrimack Valley Chamber of Commerce, Nantucket Island Chamber of Commerce, National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), and National Business Officers Association (NBOA), and he has been a guest lecturer at Harvard Law School.