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Settlement Agreement Advice for Employees
Where you are involved in a dispute with your employer or former employer, or there is the potential for a dispute, a settlement agreement can offer a fast way to resolve matters and secure a fair outcome for you. However, it is essential to seek expert legal advice if you are offered a settlement agreement or wish to negotiate one as this ensures your best interests are protected.
When you sign a settlement agreement, you will be agreeing in writing not to bring a claim for a specific issue related to your employment in exchange for a one-off payment. The benefits for employees include saving you the time, legal costs and uncertainty associated with making an employment tribunal claim, as well as avoiding any negative publicity which could harm your career.
Settlement agreements can be used where your employment has already ended, where it is due to end (e.g. during redundancy) or where your employment will continue.
Our employment lawyers offer a sensitive, pragmatic approach to getting settlement agreements in place, helping to ensure that you can achieve an amicable solution to any contentious issues that protects your best interests.
We regularly act for employees who have been asked by their employer to enter into a settlement agreement. Our team can provide independent advice on whether an agreement represents a good deal for you, or whether we believe a better settlement can be negotiated or a better outcome secured via an employment tribunal.
If you are an employee being asked to sign a settlement agreement, you are required to have legal representation. It is customary for the employer to make a contribution towards the employee’s legal costs for advice associated with the settlement agreement.
Depending on the individual circumstances of each case, it is often beneficial for the employee to enter into a Settlement agreement (subject to a review of its terms) as it provides certainty going forwards and enables the employee to start afresh with a new employer.
We also provide settlement agreement services for employers, including for mass settlement agreements during redundancy proceedings.
To speak to one of our expert settlement agreement solicitors today, please contact your local JCP office or use our simple enquiry form to ask a question.
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- Catherine Almeida
- Senior Associate Solicitor - Employment & HR
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- Maia Liddle
- Undergraduate Legal Assistant - Employment & HR
How we help employees with settlement agreements
Independent legal advice on settlement agreements
If you have been offered a settlement agreement by your employer, it is important to get independent legal advice. Not only is this a requirement for the agreement to be legally binding, it also ensures that any deal you are offered matches your best interests.
Our employment lawyers in Wales can swiftly review settlement agreements and provide clear, sensible advice on whether an agreement represents the best deal possible for you. Should we feel a better settlement is possible, we will advise you on your options for moving forward.
Representation for settlement negotiations
Where you need help to negotiate a settlement, our team can advise and represent you. This includes both direct negotiations with your employer and working through the Acas early conciliation process.
Our team can ensure your position is clearly presented and your interests robustly defended where required, helping you to secure a fair settlement for your dispute.
Employment tribunal claims
Should you find that no suitable settlement can be agreed with your employer, we can advise you on whether we believe taking your claim forward to an employment tribunal is in your best interests.
Our employment lawyers can advise you on how the employment tribunal process works, help with the preparation of your case and represent you during an employment tribunal hearing where required.
For more information about how employment tribunal claims work, please review our guide to the employment tribunal process.
Settlement agreement fees for employees
A key point to understand is that an employer will normally cover the cost of an employee receiving legal advice on a settlement agreement. This is because it is a legal requirement for employees to receive independent advice in order for the settlement agreement to be valid.
Should you need representation for settlement negotiations or an employment tribunal claim, you will generally need to cover your own costs. You can find out more about the costs involved with employment tribunal claims by reviewing our employment tribunal prices.
Why use our settlement agreement solicitors?
Our employment law team have extensive experience with all aspects of settlement agreement, so can provide clear, expert advice that helps you get the best settlement available for your situation.
We are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), ensuring we maintain the highest legal and professional standards at all times.
Our aim is to be as accessible as possible, so we are happy to communicate with you in person, over the phone, by email or via whatever means are most convenient for you.
We have a number of offices covering the whole of South Wales, East Wales and West Wales, including in Swansea and Cardiff. Find out more by taking a look at the contact details for our other law offices in Wales.
Speak to our settlement agreements lawyers in Wales today
Get in touch with our settlement agreements solicitors in Wales now by contacting your local JCP office or filling out the enquiry form at the top of the page to request a call back.