A Settlement Agreement is a document which records an agreement between you and your employer. It is a legal requirement that you seek independent advice on the Agreement and you must consult with a solicitor in this regard. You cannot use the same solicitor as your employer and so you will need to check first of all whether the solicitor has represented your employer in the past.

Once you have selected a solicitor, you should provide your employer with their contact details and your employer can forward the proposed Agreement to your solicitor or you can give the Agreement to your solicitor direct, if you already have a copy.

The solicitor will then meet with you to go through the Agreement (this is another legal requirement). If it is not possible to meet then alternative arrangements can be made. Your solicitor will need to see a copy of your employment contract (if you have one) together with any other correspondence relating to your employment or to the Agreement itself. At the end of the meeting you can decide whether you wish to sign the Agreement, go back to your employer with proposed changes or decide not to enter into the Agreement at all.

Normally your employer would contribute to your legal costs in seeking legal advice on the Agreement itself.

Richard Moon has advised on a multitude of Settlement Agreements so contact him on (01926) 884745 or [email protected].

CAPTION: Richard Moon. Partner, Employment Team