Settlement agreement solicitors in Manchester

You work in Greater Manchester, your employer has handed you a settlement agreement and you have a date to sign by. A solicitor at our Northenden office reads it, usually the same working day, tells you whether the offer is fair and signs the adviser's certificate so the deal can complete. Your employer usually pays for the advice. You can come to the office, or do everything by phone or video.

Key points

• Our office is at First Floor, 402 Palatine Road, Northenden, Manchester M22 4FZ.
• A solicitor usually reads your agreement the same working day it arrives. If your deadline is close, tell us and we will advise and sign that day where we can.
• Your employer's contribution often covers some or all of our fee. If it will not cover it, we tell you the difference before we start and you decide.
• Meet us in person, or by phone or video if that is easier.
• We advise in English, Urdu, Punjabi, Hindi, Pashto and Farsi.
• Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA 645182); Law Society Lexcel accredited.

How it works if you work in Manchester

1. Send us the agreement with your employer's deadline. Use the upload button at the top of this page, WhatsApp it to a solicitor on 07783 531746, or email employment@primussolicitors.com.
2. A solicitor reads it and calls you, usually the same working day. If you would like to meet, we book a time at the Northenden office.
3. We go through the payment, the reference, the restrictions and the claims you are giving up, and tell you whether the offer is fair.
4. If it should be better, we write to your employer or their solicitor.
5. When you are happy with it, you sign, we sign the certificate and send it back so you are paid on time.

Where is your Manchester office?

We are in Northenden, south Manchester, on Palatine Road. The office is close to the M60 and M56, and a short drive from Didsbury, Wythenshawe, Sale, Altrincham, Cheadle and Stockport. It is open Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 5.30pm. Please call 0333 242 2375 before you travel so that a solicitor is free to see you.

Which parts of Greater Manchester do you cover?

All ten boroughs. It does not matter where your employer's head office is, as long as you work in England or Wales.

• Manchester, including the city centre, Didsbury, Chorlton and Wythenshawe
• Salford, including Salford Quays and MediaCity
• Trafford, including Sale, Altrincham, Stretford and Trafford Park
• Stockport, including Cheadle
• Tameside, including Ashton-under-Lyne
• Oldham, Rochdale, Bury, Bolton and Wigan

If you work elsewhere in England or Wales, our main settlement agreements page explains how we advise by phone and video.

Do I need a settlement agreement solicitor in Manchester?

No. Under section 203 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 the agreement only binds you if you have had advice from an independent adviser, such as a solicitor, who is named in it and insured. The law does not say where that adviser has to be.

A solicitor near you helps in two situations: you would like to sit down with someone and go through the document page by page, or your deadline is very close and you want to sign in the office the same day.

What do you check in the agreement?

The money, including notice pay, holiday pay, bonus and the termination payment. The date you are paid. The reference. The restrictions on your next job. Every claim you are giving up, and what it could be worth. Our guide to settlement agreements covers each of these, with a section on tax and on when not to sign.

Is my offer fair?

There is no standard figure. A fair offer pays everything you are owed anyway and then adds a sum for the claims you give up. Our free settlement agreement calculator shows what you are owed whatever you sign, the most a tribunal could award and how many months of pay your offer adds. A solicitor reviews the final figure with you before you decide.

If you are being made redundant, or you were pushed into leaving, read our pages on redundancy, unfair dismissal and constructive dismissal as well.

How much does it cost?

Nothing for most employees. Employers almost always contribute towards your legal advice, and in most cases the contribution covers our fee in full. Your agreement will normally say how much your employer will pay. Send it to us and we tell you, before we start, whether that covers our fee. Our other employment charges are on the fees page.

What if I do not sign? The Manchester Employment Tribunal

You do not have to accept. If you refuse and your job ends, you can bring a claim. Claims from Greater Manchester are normally heard at the Manchester Employment Tribunal, Alexandra House, 14-22 The Parsonage, Manchester M3 2JA.

You must contact Acas for early conciliation before you start a claim, and the time limit is now six months for problems arising on or after 1 October 2026. We tell you what the claim is likely to be worth and what it would cost before you decide, and we can represent you at the tribunal. Most settlement agreements are signed without a claim ever being issued.

For Manchester employers

We draft settlement agreements in plain English, negotiate with the employee's adviser, and advise on protected conversations and without-prejudice offers. Fixed fee, quoted in advance.

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