When faced with a severance agreement, the pressure from your employer to sign it immediately can be overwhelming. These agreements often contain complex legal jargon, and signing them without understanding the implications can lead to unfavorable terms that may harm you in the future.
Before signing a severance agreement, consulting with an employment attorney is in your best interest. They can help you decipher the agreement’s terms and negotiate more favorable conditions, if necessary. Once you’ve signed the agreement, it’s typically binding, making it crucial to seek legal advice beforehand. The employment attorneys at Lipsky Lowe LLP, based in New York City, are here to ensure you’re fairly compensated during this potentially challenging transition period between jobs.
Don’t Sign a Severance Agreement without Speaking to an Attorney
Every year, hard workers who have dedicated years to a company and feel secure in their jobs suddenly learn they’re being let go. Facing an unexpected layoff can be devastating. When you realize you’re being let go, your employer may offer you a severance agreement that provides payment and certain employment benefits for a specified period of time.
When you initially read the terms of the severance agreement, it may seem generous. You may want to sign the agreement quickly when you’re concerned about paying your bills while you search for another job. Many employees assume they have to sign the agreement as is or may not receive the compensation they need.
It’s crucial that you never sign a severance agreement or any other employment contract before speaking to an experienced employment attorney. Lipsky Lowe LLP will carefully review the agreement and advise whether it fairly compensates you. Our skilled employment attorneys know how to identify the terms that may not be in your favor. We will negotiate a fair agreement whenever possible.
Signing a Severance Agreement Isn’t Always the Best Options
When you sign a severance agreement, you will usually be asked to waive your right to pursue legal claims against your employer. If your employer has violated your rights, pursuing a claim against your attorney may be the most strategic option. For example, if your employer has engaged in unlawful discrimination and you sign a severance agreement, you will likely lose your right to pursue an antidiscrimination claim for compensation.
New York City has one of the most comprehensive anti-discrimination laws in the country. Suppose your employer discriminated against you because of your sex, gender identity, age, religion, race, parent status, criminal record, or any other protected classification. In that case, they may violate city, state, and federal employment laws. In that case, pursuing an employment claim could be more beneficial than accepting the compensation offered in the severance agreement. Our attorneys can work with you to help you understand whether you should sign the agreement.
Reviewing Existing Severance Agreements
When you begin working for your employer, you may have signed a contract that addresses what will happen when you leave the company. The employment contract may have addressed the terms of severance including compensation and benefits. Alternatively, your employer may have made verbal promises or provided you with an employee handbook that offered certain severance payments if you were let go. Lipsky Lowe LLP will carefully examine any employment contracts you signed and help you understand your rights.
You may have been offered more compensation under a previous employment contract, and signing a new severance agreement could hurt you. Your employer may hope you will forget prior agreements or promises and sign the less favorable severance agreement they’re offering you because you are concerned about your finances moving forward. Our attorneys will carefully review any previous agreements and determine whether you have the right to enforce a previous agreement and recover more compensation.
Pursuing Better Severance Agreement Terms
If you’ve been laid off unexpectedly, you may be concerned about trying to negotiate the terms of your severance agreement. You may be worried that your soon-to-be former employer will decide to revoke the offer and not provide you with any compensation or employment benefits. The employment attorneys at Lipsky Lowe LLP have a proven track record of successfully negotiating better government agreement terms for our clients. In many cases, we can negotiate more compensation and better employment benefits or increase the time employees can access employment benefits.
When you read the non-compete agreement, you may be focused on the compensation provisions and not notice harmful clauses like non-compete clauses. Non-compete clauses limit your ability to find employment in your field for a specific time after leaving your employer. If you violate the provision and seek work from a competitor company, your former employer may bring a breach of contract lawsuit against you. Our attorneys are often able to negotiate with your employer to remove adverse terms, allowing you to seek employment elsewhere in the same geographic area.
Helping Workers Understand the Terms of Your Severance Agreement
Understanding the long-term consequences of signing a severance agreement can be challenging, especially without a thorough understanding of employment and contract law. It can be difficult for employees to identify and negotiate unfavorable provisions successfully. If your employer in New York City has offered you a severance agreement, Lipsky Lowe LLP is here to help you understand your rights. We will carefully review the severance agreement and advise whether negotiations would be helpful.
Contact a Severance Agreement Review Attorney in NYC Employees and Employers
If your employer has violated your rights and you have a valid legal claim, we can advise you on how to proceed. We also help New York City employers draft comprehensive and legally enforceable severance agreements. Contact Lipsky Lowe LLP to schedule a complimentary, no-obligation case evaluation and learn more about how our severance agreement review attorneys can help you.