Settlement Agreement Solicitors

To create a legally binding settlement agreement, the employee must have received legal advice from a trade union representative or a qualifiedsolicitor.

At Rollits, we’ve supported employees ranging from straightforward to complex settlement agreement cases. With our outstanding legal advice, we can help to ensure you are receiving a fair settlement, protecting your financial circumstances and your reputation, and allowing you to move forward with your career.

To negotiate a settlement agreement, you’ll first need to understand your legal position and rights. You’ll need to find out the potential value of your legal claims and what kind of offer is deemed reasonable.

The settlement agreement should clearly outline the benefits that you’re seeking regarding the agreement terms. You should seek the guidance of a settlement agreement solicitor to help you negotiate the agreement on the best possible terms for you. Our employment lawyers at Rollits can expertly walk you through the legal process, helping you to achieve a positive outcome.

If a suitable settlement cannot be agreed, or you feel a settlement is inappropriate, we can advise on your rights to bring an employment tribunal claim. Our experts will talk you through your rights and what the claims process involves, then support you every step of the way.

Employers will usually ask you to sign a settlement agreement when they would like to terminate your employment contract using mutually agreed terms or if you’ve made a claim against your employer, such as unfair dismissal, and they wish to settle the matter out of court.

Formerly known as a compromise agreement, a settlement agreement typically offers the employee a severance payment. By accepting the payment, the employee legally agrees not to bring a claim in court or at an employment tribunal.

If your employer believes that your performance is inadequate and they’d like to terminate your employment, they may offer you a settlement to formally end your contract rather than following a performance management process.

This will entirely depend on your circumstances and whether you want your employer to be held to account by issuing a claim or prefer to resolve the issues and move on.

Reasons to accept a settlement include:

• Ending your employment on more positive terms
• In some cases, it may even be possible to continue your employment if you wish to do so and feel this is viable
• Resolve the dispute faster
• Keep legal costs to a minimum
• You may be able to secure an agreed reference from your employer

A basic settlement agreement outlines the employee’s termination payments, including bonuses, holiday and redundancy, where applicable. You are entitled to receive any wages and pay in lieu for any untaken holiday. It is also common to be offered payment in lieu of notice, so you do not need to work the notice period set out in your contract, but still receive your wages as if you had.

Any additional compensation you might receive beyond this will depend on the situation, so it is important to seek expert advice at an early stage. This ensures you understand what you are entitled to and do not undervalue your settlement.

A basic settlement agreement outlines the employee’s termination payments, including bonuses, holiday and redundancy, where applicable. You are entitled to receive any wages and pay in lieu for any untaken holiday. It is also common to be offered payment in lieu of notice, so you do not need to work the notice period set out in your contract, but still receive your wages as if you had.

Any additional compensation you might receive beyond this will depend on the situation, so it is important to seek expert advice at an early stage. This ensures you understand what you are entitled to and do not undervalue your settlement.

For the settlement to be legally binding, you need to take independent advice from a qualified solicitor or an appropriate trade union representative. The advantage of using a solicitor for a settlement agreement is that they will usually have a broader and deeper understanding of employment law than a trade union rep, so can give confidence that your rights are being respected and you are getting the best possible settlement.