SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT ADVICE – SIGNED WITHIN 24 HOURS
Settlement Agreement Solicitors
Attwells Solicitors’ Employment Law team specialises in negotiating and advising upon Settlement Agreements. As a result, we can complete your Settlement Agreement within 24 hours and because of our ‘No Fee Guarantee’, most clients pay nothing.
Call us now on 01206 766333.
What is a Settlement Agreement?
Settlement Agreements (formerly ‘compromise agreements’) are legally binding agreements between an employer and employee, under which an employee agrees to sign away their rights to bring an Employment Tribunal claim against their employer, in return for compensation.
Your employer will contribute towards your legal costs in obtaining advice on the terms of the Settlement Agreement. Therefore, we can offer the vast majority of our clients a completely FREE service.
Our fees are NOT taken from your settlement sum. Call now on 01206 766333.
Negotiating your Settlement Agreement – Fixed Fees From Only £195+VAT
Most clients take their negotiation journey with us and benefit from our long track record of achieving great results. With fees starting at just £195+VAT, the increase in settlement sums we often achieve for our clients represents fantastic value.
From the very outset and free of charge, we can advise you what the prospects of successfully negotiating your settlement agreement are, what levers we can pull to negotiate on your behalf and what fixed fees will be payable and when.
The circumstances of your case, your role, salary and length of service are just some of the factors which will influence negotiations.
Once we’ve seen your Agreement, we’ll have a free confidential call to talk through what’s involved and confirm a clear fixed fee before any work starts, so you always feel in control and never face unexpected costs.
Signing your Settlement Agreement
When you’re ready to sign your Settlement Agreement, you will be agreeing to sign away your rights to bring an Employment Tribunal claim against your employer. This is in return for an agreed cash sum.
Settlement Agreements are often used when dealing with redundancy, poor performance, disciplinary or any other employment dispute. A Settlement Agreements can also be used when resolving potential or actual Employment Tribunal Claims.
We offer clients an online Settlement Agreement review service. You need only answer a handful of simple questions. Then one of our Employment Law Team will review your settlement agreement and call you to discuss it. All completely free of charge. Call now on 01206 766333.
1 Hour Response Time
How long does a Settlement Agreement take to complete?
Our Settlement Agreement solicitors are able to advise you on the terms and effect of your settlement agreement within 24 hours. The quickest way to receive settlement agreement advice is the submit your settlement agreement via our online portal.
Our approach to Settlement Agreements is to offer fixed-fee advice. Therefore, you will never receive an unexpected bill. Equally, as part of our jargon-free law approach, we will unravel the complex nature of employment law, explaining things in plain-English.
Our Employment Team has substantial strength in depth, with decades of experience in successfully negotiating substantial and complex Settlement Agreements, in addition to all types of workplace disputes, alongside bringing and defending Employment Tribunal claims.
Attwells are proud that we always achieve a high rate of success for our clients, providing award-winning client care at the same time. Check out client reviews here.
What should be included in a Settlement Agreement?
- Tax‑free compensation (up to £30,000): Once you have submitted your Settlement Agreement for review, one of our Settlement Agreement solicitors can advise you on this matter. If we feel you are not receiving enough compensation, your settlement agreement solicitor will recommend negotiation, explaining how this will be done and the costs attached.. Negotiating Settlement Agreement compensation very often represents a wise investment, given the legal costs involved are often hugely outweighed by the additional compensation our clients receive.
- Confidentiality: A confidentiality clause requires both the employee and employer to not disclose matters related to the settlement agreement.
- Pre‑agreed reference: This ensures you are able to receive a reference from your former employer in the future, allowing you to secure future employment elsewhere.
- All termination payments: Our Settlement Agreement solicitors will ensure that all payments due to you are paid, including your holiday entitlement, any bonus, plus payment in respect of your notice period.
Settlement Agreement FAQ’s
Do I have to pay our legal fees?
Your employer will usually contribute towards your legal costs in obtaining advice on the terms of the agreement and therefore we can offer the vast majority of our clients a completely FREE service. We simply invoice your employer directly on completion of your Settlement Agreement. No payment is required from you.
How long does the process take?
We are able to advise you on and complete your Settlement Agreement within 24 hours.
Will you have to pay tax and national insurance on the compensation payment?
You will have to pay tax and national insurance on wages, holiday pay, notice pay and any other payment that is considered “earnings”.
However, the first £30,000 of any compensation payable under a Settlement Agreement is generally tax-free. These payments are usually labelled ‘ex gratia payments’, ‘termination payments’ or ‘compensation payments’ within Settlement Agreements and often include statutory redundancy payments too.
Can you negotiate the compensation offered?
Yes certainly. Negotiating Settlement Agreement compensation very often represents a wise investment, given the legal costs involved are hugely outweighed by the additional compensation received. From the very outset we will advise whether negotiation on your Settlement Agreement is worthwhile, what you can expect to receive and what the legal costs of any negotiations will be so that you can make a fully informed decision on whether to negotiate or not.
Can you make any claims against your employer after signing the agreement?
Signing a settlement agreement generally prevents you from making or continuing any claim against your employer in respect of your employment and/or its termination.
However, there are limited exceptions such as:
- If your employer breaches the settlement agreement – e.g. they fail to pay you the compensation due under the Agreement;
- Personal injury claims for injuries you were not aware of (and could not reasonable be aware of) at the time you signed the agreement; and
- Claims for accrued pension rights.
Can you tell anyone about the settlement agreement?
There is normally a confidentiality clause in Settlement Agreements. This typically comes in two forms:
- Terms-only: This clause covers only the terms of the Settlement Agreement. This means you can tell people that you have reached a Settlement Agreement with your employer, but you cannot tell them the contents of the Settlement Agreement (e.g. details on compensation)
- Whole agreement: This means that you cannot tell people about the fact of, the circumstances leading up or the negotiations on the Settlement Agreement with your employer. There are limited exceptions included within Settlement Agreements, such as exclusions for whistleblowing. Rest assured we will set everything out in detail for you when reporting to you on the terms and effect of the Agreement.
Can you say what you want about your employer?
No. Settlement Agreements often contain a non-derogatory statements clause. This prevents you from bad-mouthing your employer or other employees. If this is in your Settlement Agreement, you should be careful what you say about your employer, particularly in public or on social media.
When will you receive your payment?
This should be set out and agreed in the Settlement Agreement. Usually, it is within 28 days of the date you leave your employer or your employer’s next payroll date.
Will you receive a reference?
Employers do not generally have to give you a reference. However, many settlement agreements include an agreed reference or provision for a reference on request from a prospective employer. If your employer later receives information about you that makes the agreed reference untrue, they may refuse to give one or amend the reference.
