If you’ve been asked to sign a settlement agreement
A settlement agreement is a legally binding agreement between you and your employer. You might be asked to sign one if you are settling a workplace dispute, being made redundant, or ending your employment for other reasons. Settlement agreements are written by lawyers, and the language is often difficult to understand and can be confusing.
That’s why the law says you must take independent legal advice about the terms and effect of the agreement: you need to know what potential rights you’re signing away.
How we can help
You do not need to be a Which? member to use our settlement agreement service.
If you are willing to accept the offer your employer has made you, please upload the proposed agreement using our secure portal here.
Once we receive your agreement, a lawyer will review it to check that our service is right for you. This may involve us calling you to discuss your situation in more detail.
We will then be in touch (usually the same day) to confirm whether we can assist. Assuming we can, we will email you our Settlement Agreement Terms for you to review and agree, a copy of which can be found here. We will also confirm the date and time when the lawyer will call you to go through the agreement.
What does it cost?
Your employer will normally contribute towards the cost of you getting legal advice. Our fee will be the amount equal to your employer’s agreed contribution and no more, i.e. there will be no hidden extra fees for you to pay.
What if you have an agreement but aren’t ready to sign?
You may decide you’re not ready to sign the agreement; perhaps you’re not happy with how you’ve been treated, or with the amount of money you’re being offered.
If you’re a member of the Which? legal advice service, we can talk to you about your situation, any potential claims and options you may have, and your next steps.
If you’re not a member of the Which? legal advice service, you can sign up to our Which? Legal Service below, and we’ll talk you through your options.
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Brendan Donohue
Brendan joined Which? in 2018 and is a member of the Employment Lawyers Association. He has over 20 years of experience advising on all aspects of employment law.
Duncan Snook
Duncan joined the Which? legal advice service as an employment law specialist in May 2018. He has over 10 years of experience as an employment solicitor in private practice.
