IMPORTANT: The contents of this page are general guidance only and should not therefore be regarded as constituting legal or other advice or recommendations. You are free to instruct any solicitor you wish.
Hallett & Co – 11 Bank Street, Ashford, Kent, TN23 1DA
Kingsfords Solicitors – 5-7 Bank Street, Ashford, Kent, TN23 1BZ
IMPORTANT: The contents of this page are general guidance only and should not therefore be regarded as constituting legal or other advice or recommendations. You are free to instruct any solicitor you wish.
If you’re in the Sheffield area and have been offered a settlement agreement, we can provide expert specialist advice and help. Go for a fast sign off solicitor advice service (if you’re happy with the deal) with costs are paid by your employer.
Once signed, a settlement agreement is legally binding. That’s why it’s crucial to have specialist advice from a settlement agreement solicitor in the UK.
A settlement agreement is a formal agreement between an employer and an employee. The documents used to be called compromise agreements, and they’re covered in the Employment Rights Act 1996. Once the agreement is signed:
For the settlement agreement to be legally binding it has to comply in certain ways, for example, it must be in writing, and the employee must have received legal advice from a solicitor. That’s crucial because you need to know if the deal is fair and be certain that you don’t want to bring a claim against your employer.
We that losing your job or having a dispute at work can feel overwhelming and stressful. However, we have long term experience of helping people reach the best outcomes possible with their settlement agreements. Getting the right advice means we can ensure you are getting the best deal (and negotiate on your behalf if you’re not) and allow you to sign your settlement agreement and move on.
IMPORTANT: The contents of this page are general guidance only and should not therefore be regarded as constituting legal or other advice or recommendations. You are free to instruct any solicitor you wish.
Bournemouth
Dorchester
Poole
Weymouth
We don’t have a specialist employment solicitor listed here but one of our panel employment solicitors can help.
Why use our Panel of Employment Solicitors?
My settlement agreement introduces new post-termination restrictions stopping me work for a competitor and requiring me to handover all of the information about my LinkedIn contacts and then delete them from my account. I’ve checked my employment contract and there’s no restrictions in there. I’m happy with the financial terms but I’m worried the restrictions will mean I can’t get another job for a while. Any advice?
You do not have to accept the proposed terms of the settlement agreement. More often than not the terms of a settlement agreement, which are initially proposed by an employer, are open to negotiation. Your employer has a vested interest in getting the terms of the settlement agreement agreed because otherwise it would not have been proposed in the first place.
If you have serious concerns that the new post-termination restriction, preventing you from working for a competitor, will stop you getting a new job, then you could request that this clause is removed from the settlement agreement or perhaps modified. A reasonable modification may be that you are not prevented from working for a competitor but you cannot endeavour to entice away or even deal with your employer’s clients/customers for a fixed period. This proposed amendment would provide your employer with the comfort that its business interests are protected but will not limit where you can work in the future.
Similarly you can request that the clause relating to you handing over your LinkedIn contacts and deleting them from your account is removed from the settlement agreement.
Ultimately, you can request the removal of these clauses and your employer can either grant or refuse your request. If your employer refuses to remove the clauses, then you have to assess whether this is a deal breaker for you.
You have to remember that if your employer refuses to amend the terms and you are not prepared to sign the settlement agreement as worded, then you will remain an employee and effectively the deal is off.
In the event that your employer refuses to remove the new post-termination restriction, preventing you from working for a competitor, and you choose to accept the deal, you should make sure that a nominal payment (i.e. £50) is assigned to the fresh obligation. If not, there is a risk that HMRC may decide that some or all of any tax free payment, which you are receiving as compensation for the termination of your employment, is being paid in consideration of this new obligation, which may render it taxable.
By Solicitor Darren Tibble
IMPORTANT: The contents of this page are for guidance only and do not constitute nor are they intended to be legal advice.
Wheelers Solicitors LLP – Vale House, Wharf Road, Ash Vale, Surrey, GU12 5AR
Baker Law Solicitors – Gostrey House, Union Rd, Farnham, Surrey, GU9 7PT
IMPORTANT: The contents of this page are general guidance only and should not therefore be regarded as constituting legal or other advice or recommendations. You are free to instruct any solicitor you wish.
Barker Son & Isherwood LLP – 32 High Street, Andover, Hampshire. SP10 1NT
Bonallack & Bishop – 3 Eastgate House, East Street, Andover, SP10 1EP
IMPORTANT: The contents of this page are general guidance only and should not therefore be regarded as constituting legal or other advice or recommendations. You are free to instruct any solicitor you wish.
Any guidance, commentary or tips contained on this website is provided for information purposes only and is not intended to be (nor is it) legal advice nor should it be relied upon as legal advice or construed as creating a lawyer-client relationship. You are recommended to seek legal advice from a solicitor on your own particular situation without delay.
© Marchmouse. All of the solicitors listed on this site are qualified solicitors that work for a law firm authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. All legal services for individuals in relation to settlement agreements are provided by qualified solicitors and members of the Employment Lawyers Association. Settlementagreement.co.uk is operated by Marchmouse Media Limited which is not a firm of solicitors. Use of this website is subject to our policies and terms of use.
