Settlement agreement solicitors

Upload your settlement agreementPDF or Word. A solicitor checks it and calls you back, usually the same day. Usually no cost to you.

Primus Solicitors is a national law firm. We act for clients across the UK from our Manchester office, by phone, video or in person. If your employer has offered you a settlement agreement, you must take independent legal advice before it can bind you, and your employer will normally pay for that advice. We review agreements the same day where we can, by phone or video, for employees anywhere in the UK.

Key points

Usually no cost to you. Employers pay a contribution towards the advice and in most cases our fee is covered by it. If not, we tell you before any cost arises.
Same-day and next-day appointments are usually available, by phone, video or at our Manchester office.
A qualified solicitor advises you and signs the adviser's certificate the agreement needs.
We negotiate where the money or the terms are not good enough.
Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority; Law Society Lexcel accredited.

What a settlement agreement is

A settlement agreement (called a compromise agreement until 2013) is a legally binding contract in which you give up the right to bring claims against your employer, usually in return for a payment and an agreed exit. It is only binding if you have had independent legal advice from a qualified adviser who signs a certificate. Employers use them for redundancies, performance or conduct exits, and to settle disputes before or during a tribunal claim.

Standard terms and what we check

The payment. Notice pay, holiday pay, bonus and commission, pension contributions and the termination payment itself; the first £30,000 of a genuine termination payment is usually tax-free, while notice, holiday and bonus are taxed as earnings.
The reference and announcement. An agreed reference and an agreed form of words for colleagues and clients.
Restrictions. Garden leave, restrictive covenants, confidentiality and non-disparagement clauses, and what you may still say.
Warranties and clawback. Promises you are asked to make, and when the employer could ask for the money back.
The claims you give up. Each listed claim and its value, so you know what you are signing away.

The costs

Your employer pays a contribution towards your legal advice, and in most cases that covers our fee in full, so there is nothing for you to pay. Where the agreement needs more work than the contribution covers, for example because terms have to be negotiated, we tell you before any cost arises and we usually ask the employer to increase the contribution. Employers instructing us to draft or negotiate an agreement are quoted a fixed fee in advance.

Our service

For employees: same-day or next-day advice by phone or video anywhere in the UK, or in person in Manchester; every clause explained; a better payment, reference or wording negotiated where the offer is low or one-sided; the adviser's certificate signed so the agreement can complete on your employer's timetable.
For employers: agreements drafted in plain English that will hold up, negotiation with the employee's adviser, and advice on the protected-conversation and without-prejudice rules so the offer cannot be used against you.
Do not sign yet. Signing before advice can weaken your position; send the agreement to us first.

Upload your settlement agreement

Use the Upload your settlement agreement button above to send us the agreement (PDF or Word) with your name, email address and your employer's deadline. A solicitor reads it and calls or emails you back with a time, usually the same day. You can also email it to info@primussolicitors.com or send it by WhatsApp.

Where we act

Settlement agreement advice is given by phone and video for employees across the UK, and in person at our Manchester office for clients in Manchester, Stockport, Trafford, Salford, Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Tameside, Wigan, Warrington, Cheshire and across the North West.

Questions people ask

Does it cost me anything?

Usually no. Employers almost always offer a contribution towards the advice, and in most cases it covers our fee. If the agreement needs negotiation beyond a standard review, we tell you before any cost arises and you decide.

How quickly can you see me?

Usually the same or next working day, by phone or video. Employers often set short deadlines; tell us the date and we work to it.

Will a qualified solicitor review it?

Yes. Every agreement is reviewed by a solicitor who signs the adviser's certificate the agreement requires.

What makes a settlement agreement valid?

It must be in writing, relate to particular complaints, and record that you received independent legal advice from a named adviser covered by insurance and that the statutory conditions are met.

Do I have to sign?

No. You can negotiate, or refuse and pursue a claim. We tell you how the offer compares with what a tribunal might award, and the risk and delay of litigating.

Can you negotiate changes?

Yes. Common improvements are a higher payment, an agreed reference, payment of outstanding bonus or commission, and narrower post-termination restrictions.

Is the payment tax-free?

Up to £30,000 of a genuine termination payment is usually free of income tax; payments for notice, holiday and bonus are taxed as earnings. We explain how the agreement treats each sum.

I am a sponsored worker. Does leaving affect my visa?

Yes. Your employer must report the end of your employment and your leave will usually be curtailed, with 60 days to find a new sponsor. We advise on the immigration position at the same time; see Skilled Worker visa.

Our Manchester office and national service

We are at First Floor, 402 Palatine Road, Northenden, Manchester M22 4FZ, open Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 5.30pm, with free parking nearby and the M60 and Wythenshawe tram stops close by. Most clients outside Greater Manchester deal with us by phone and video; we also attend hearings across England and Wales. If you would prefer to meet in person, we can arrange a meeting in your own town by advance arrangement. We advise in English, Urdu, Punjabi and Hindi.

Ask a question

Not sure where you stand? Ask a solicitor and we will reply by phone or email, or send an enquiry for a free initial assessment.