A settlement agreement only becomes binding once you've taken independent legal advice on it. That advice is a requirement — and in almost every case the employer contributes towards its cost. So you get a senior barrister to check the agreement, explain exactly what you're signing away, and tell you whether the deal is fair, typically at little or no cost to you.
A settlement agreement isn't valid unless you've had independent advice from a qualified adviser. It's not optional — it's what makes the agreement binding.
Employers almost always pay a contribution towards your advice. Where it covers the work, it costs you nothing — and I'll tell you up front if anything would fall outside it. The choice of adviser is yours, not your employer's: you don't have to use the firm they suggest.
Most agreements are straightforward to advise on quickly. Send it over, have a conversation, sign — often inside the deadline your employer has given you.
A settlement agreement (once called a compromise agreement) is a contract between you and your employer. Usually you receive a payment, and in return you agree not to bring certain legal claims against them — for example over how your employment ended.
Because you're giving up real legal rights, the law says it only counts if you've had independent advice on its terms and effect. That's where a barrister comes in: to make sure you understand exactly what you're agreeing to, and whether what's on the table is reasonable.
The advice isn't a formality to rush through. It's your one chance to find out whether the offer is fair before it's signed and final.
Email over the agreement and any covering letter. Tell me the deadline your employer has set.
A clear conversation about what you're signing, what you're giving up, and whether the terms and payment look fair.
If something should be improved — the figure, a reference, the wording — I'll tell you, and can help you go back to them.
We complete the adviser's certificate the agreement requires, you sign, and it's done — usually within the deadline.
Plenty of advisers will sign you off in ten minutes. You're dealing with a barrister of twenty years — so you get a proper view, not a rubber stamp.
I draft clear, enforceable settlement agreements for employers too — fixed fee, fast turnaround, and written so they hold up. (The employee takes their own independent advice; we act for one side only.)
{{ item.a }}
Tell me your deadline and I'll work to it. In most cases the employer's contribution covers the advice, so you'll know your position at no cost to you.