Settlement Agreements
A settlement agreement is used to bring a mutually beneficial and amicable end to the relationship between an employer and employee.
The agreement will set out the terms of the contract termination, include details of any financial payment that will be given to the employee, and outline certain requirements that are to be met, for example waiving the right to bring future claims against the business and keeping the terms of the agreement confidential.
Employers
If you are an employer looking to exit an employee with minimal risk, we can assist and guide you through the process by:
drafting a bespoke agreement which reflects the specific circumstances of the business and protects you from future claims;
conducting any necessary negotiations with the employee’s solicitor in order to get the agreement signed.
Here’s two reviews from companies who have us on their list of recommended solicitors for employees receiving settlement agreements:
“When we offer settlement agreements, we inform our staff they must get advice from independent solicitors. We have a list of solicitors we give them if they ask and one of the firms on the list is Robinson Ralph.
They are always able to quickly contact the employee and, if they are instructed, come back to us with proposed amendments.
Whilst they always aim to negotiate the best result for their clients, the approach to us is friendly, professional and straightforward.
They don’t advance unnecessary issues, become combative or seek to increase their fees as a matter of course.
They are a pleasure to negotiate with.
I highly recommend the team at Robinson Ralph.”
Senior HR Manager
“Situations sometimes arise whereby we offer settlement agreements to our colleagues. These situations can be varied in nature, but we always advise colleagues they must have legal advice as part of this process, and we strongly recommend Robinson Ralph to them.
Of course, Robinson Ralph will always seek to negotiate the best deal for their client, but they quickly and thoroughly assess the context of any scenario and only provide advice and direction that is relevant to the case. This approach enables a swift, amicable and mutually beneficial resolution, where that is possible.
All too often in these situations I see solicitors from other firms provide advice or suggest amendments that are of no benefit to our colleagues and make for a laborious and unnecessarily expensive process.
Negotiating with Robinson Ralph gives me peace of mind as I know our colleagues are receiving a high quality, resolution-focussed service.”
Head of People Relations
Employees
It is a requirement of all settlement agreements that employees have received legal advice on the terms of the agreement from an independent adviser before they sign. In most cases, your employer will contribute some, if not all the legal fees incurred in relation to this (you will need to check the amount with your employer).
If you are an employee who has been offered a settlement agreement, we will review the draft agreement for you, to ensure it is fair and that the employer has met all of its contractual obligations. We will then explain everything to you in plain English and answer any questions you have, making amendments and negotiating where necessary.
If you would like further information on how we can help with a settlement agreement, you can email us at info@robinsonralph.com, or book a free initial no obligation chat here.