Settlement Agreements Solicitors

1. We give transparent and jargon-free advice;
2. We have a practical, friendly and down to earth approach and always put your needs at the forefront;
3. Specialist employment law solicitors will handle the matter from start to finish.

Don’t just take our word for it…

Thank you again, you’ve made this process a hell of a lot less stressful and quite simple which I can not thank you enough for.

Anon

Your service was excellent and I would highly recommend you to friends and family. Many thanks for your patience.

Mrs G, Coventry

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you and your team for all the help and guidance during this difficult process which lasted 4 weeks and took 6 proposals to finalise.  Your professionalism, skill and speed made it a pleasure for me to deal with Wilson Browne and I would certainly not hesitate to recommend your firm in future.

Glenn Ward

If I need a solicitor in the future Wilson Browne will be my first port of call , thank you for your time and attention in this settlement.

Anon

You can find out more from ACAS, which provides useful guidance, or you can refer to their Guide.

A Settlement Agreement (formerly known as a compromise agreement) is a legally binding agreement between an employer and an employee where you (the employee) agree to settle your potential claims: in return, the employer will generally agree to pay financial compensation.

Settlement Agreements are typically associated with the ending of someone’s employment and are issued either shortly before or after the employment has ended (but they can also be used when employment is going to continue).

Normally, the employee agrees not to pursue a potential claim against their employer or former employer, in return for compensation. To be binding, the employee must get independent legal advice before signing.

You can make a claim against the business/your employer under both the contract of employment (e.g. a wages claim) and under statute (e.g. discrimination or unfair dismissal claims).

Typically claims can arise in the following broad circumstances: on recruitment; during employment; or when their employment is terminated. Accordingly, settlement agreements can be used at any point during the employment (or potential employment) relationship.

Although no legal requirement exists, it is normal for the employer to contribute a sum of money which is typically enough to cover the cost of a typical Settlement Agreement.

Expert Settlement Agreement solicitors, at a fixed fee.

As one of the leading Settlement Agreement solicitors in Northamptonshire, you’ll be in safe hands.  Our lawyers know how distressing it is when things don’t work out, so we’ll be right beside you to make the process as pain-free as possible, and can normally agree a fixed fee at the outset.

Wilson Browne Solicitors have offices in Northampton, Leicester, Kettering, Corby, Higham Ferrers and Wellingborough, so please feel free to schedule a meeting at your local branch.

The last thing you will want is a substantial legal bill from us. We aim to work within the fee contribution sum, which your employer usually offers to pay if you sign the settlement agreement. In those cases when this is not possible, we will identify this early in the process, so you can make decisions that are right for you and without a hefty price tag.

For a Settlement Agreement to be legally binding, some conditions must be met, which includes:

• The Settlement Agreement must be in writing;
• It must relate to a particular complaint or particular proceedings;
• The employee must have received legal advice from a relevant independent adviser (for example, a qualified lawyer or union official) on:
  • the terms and effect of the proposed agreement; and
  • its effect on their ability to pursue any rights before an employment tribunal
• The independent adviser must have a current contract of insurance (or professional indemnity insurance) covering the risk of a claim against them by the employee for the advice;
• The employee’s adviser must be identified in the Agreement; and
• The agreement must state that the conditions regulating settlement agreements have been satisfied.

The contents of a Settlement Agreement are mainly at the discretion of the business and subject to negotiation with the employee involved. Examples of common clauses include:

• Compensation for loss of employment.
• Contribution to the employee’s legal fees.
• A waiver of claims by the employee, including a warranty that the claims listed are the only claims that the employee has against the business.  It is worth noting that future claims that may be unknown at the time of signing the settlement agreement can be settled if the waiver in the agreement is worded correctly.
• Re-assertion or modification of existing restrictive covenants or inclusion of new restrictive covenants.
• Re-assertion or modification of existing confidential information obligations or inclusion of new confidential information obligations.
• An Indemnity from an employee concerning tax and national insurance contributions.
• Sometimes the Settlement Agreement will include other things such as an agreed reference.

Some statutory claims cannot be settled by entering into a Settlement Agreement, such as some types of Personal injury claims; Pension claims; and claims following the transfer of a business.

• A breakdown in the relationship with your employer can be stressful – we can help you make a clean break
• We can conduct negotiations on your behalf as you may find it stressful having to talk to your employer
• We will ensure that that you are made a fair offer and if not, we can help negotiate (where possible)  a higher sum
• Sometimes the most sensible option is for people to part company – a Settlement Agreement is a pragmatic way of doing this mainly where enhanced settlement payments are discussed
• A Settlement Agreement allows you to circumvent often painful formal procedures. E.g. disciplinary, capability, or even redundancy (whether compulsory or voluntary).
• Finally, it can save the time, expense, hassle, stress and uncertainty of issuing Employment Tribunal proceedings

Not so much risks, as considerations.

The only real risk is that you use a solicitor or legal adviser who doesn’t make you fully aware of what you may be “signing away” in return for entering into the agreement. Part of our role is to ensure you are fully aware of what you will be getting and what you may be giving-up

It means that the Settlement Agreement cannot be used as evidence in Court or in Employment Tribunal proceedings, and until it is signed by the employee and the employer, it is not legally binding.

1. Identify your objectives;
2. Discuss your entitlements;
3. Explain what signing means for you;
4. Advise if it’s the best deal for you in the given circumstances; and
5. Minimise the stress in, what can be, a difficult situation.

By signing the agreement, you are giving up rights to bring claims in respect of your employment or its termination so it is crucial that we help you to identify if the deal is right.

We understand that when a Settlement Agreement is offered, the relationship between you and your employer may have broken down or become strained. Whenever this is the case, we can assist by liaising directly with your employer on your behalf and therefore minimise the contact you have with your employer, or conduct negotiations on your behalf to help achieve the best possible settlement for you

1. A review of the documentation ahead of the call and calculating entitlements etc.
2. A detailed advice call when we go through:
   • the background to how the agreement came about so we can advise on any claims you may have – from this you (and we) can then make a proper assessment of the sum on offer and whether it’s a good deal
   • the alternatives – together with the pros and cons of those alternatives
   • what the settlement agreement means and any changes we recommend
3. A detailed advice letter confirming the key areas of advice given during the call and which clearly sets out the changes. This is designed to enable the client to have sufficient information to negotiate if they wish to do so themselves.