Settlement Agreement Advice and Negotiations

If your employer has provided you with a Settlement Agreement, do not worry.

Settlement Agreements can be quite daunting as they are lengthy documents. Before an employment Settlement Agreement is legally binding, you must first obtain independent legal advice.

This also applies to any settlement agreement negotiations, which are not binding until an agreement is signed by the employee, company and a legal adviser.

Be aware that Settlement Agreements often contain confidentiality clauses, so it is important that you do not discuss its existence or content with anybody, in particularly colleagues, before seeking legal advice.

Get in touch with our specialist Settlement Agreement solicitors to get the advice you need.

What happens during a Settlement Agreement appointment?

Appointments are usually arranged over the telephone or via Zoom, however a face to face meeting can be arranged if necessary.

During the appointment, our Settlement Agreement solicitor will review and explain the terms and effect of the agreement to you.

We will discuss the potential claims that you may be settling, explain the Settlement Agreement to you and advise you in relation to any changes to the wording to ensure you are protected.

If you are happy with the terms at the end of the meeting, we will return the signed Settlement Agreement to the employer for you. To streamline the process, we often work with DocuSign to ensure all parties can sign quickly and easily.

What is a settlement agreement?

Settlement Agreements (previously compromise agreements) prevent an employee from bringing claims against their employer.

Employment Settlement Agreements are quite common. It is the only way that an employer can be sure that an employee will not bring a future claim against them.

It is possible for an employer to have a confidential conversation with their employee discussing terminating their employment, which may result in a Settlement Agreement being provided.

When an employee signs a Settlement Agreement they are signing away their right to bring a claim against their employer.

An employee must be given independent legal advice about the terms of the Settlement Agreement.

We have a wealth of experience advising employees about Settlement Agreements.

Will I have to pay the Settlement Agreement solicitor fees?

Usually an employer will pay a contribution towards your legal fees for this legal advice, which means that there is no charge to the employee.