Exit Terms Solicitor London: Advice on Negotiating Your Settlement and Departure
If an exit package or settlement agreement has landed on your desk, have it reviewed before anything is signed. David advises employees on the full terms of departure, including compensation, notice, accrued bonus and holiday, and the parts easy to skim past: reference wording, confidentiality clauses and post-termination restrictions. Get in touch for an initial review before you respond to your employer.
of employment law
personally advised
top-ranked lawyer
from clients
BEFORE THE OFFER EXPIRES...
The Moment an Exit Is on the Table, Your Terms Are Still Negotiable
Acas guidance recommends allowing at least 10 calendar days to consider proposed written settlement terms and obtain independent advice, unless the parties agree otherwise.
Nothing binds you until the agreement is signed. To validly settle statutory employment claims, a settlement agreement must be in writing, relate to the particular complaint or proceedings, identify the relevant independent adviser, and confirm that the statutory conditions have been satisfied. The adviser must also be appropriately insured (Employment Rights Act 1996, section 203).
David checks the offer against your notice entitlement, any bonus or commission that has accrued, untaken holiday, and the value of the claims you are being asked to give up. That can include unfair dismissal compensation, discrimination compensation under the Equality Act 2010, including injury to feelings where applicable, and an Acas Code uplift of up to 25% in relevant cases. He also flags terms that can affect you long after the money has been paid, including restrictive covenants that limit your next move and reference wording that may matter in future applications.
36 Years Negotiating Exit Terms and Settlement Agreements for Employees
David Greenhalgh has negotiated exit terms and settlement agreements for employees and senior executives for 36 years. Every negotiation starts with a line-by-line comparison of the offer against your contract and any relevant policies or incentive arrangements, covering statutory as well as contractual entitlements so the discussion begins from an accurate figure rather than a guess.
From there, David negotiates on the points that carry real value: enhanced compensation, extended notice or garden leave, continued benefits after termination, agreed reference wording, and the narrowing of post-termination restrictions. He handles correspondence with your employer or their solicitors directly, so you are not negotiating your own departure while still sitting in the same building.
Agreeing three months' notice settles the timing and nothing else. The reference, the bonus and the covenants are all still open.
Hear how David approaches a settlement agreement.
A short introduction in plain English on what to expect from the process.
The Exit Terms Most Often Improved Through Negotiation
Compensation and tax treatment
Compensation can include statutory redundancy pay where applicable, contractual notice pay, and an additional ex gratia or termination payment. Tax treatment determines what actually reaches you. Qualifying termination payments can benefit from the £30,000 income tax threshold under section 403 of ITEPA 2003, while notice pay and post-employment notice pay are taxable as earnings. Holiday pay and bonuses are also subject to income tax and National Insurance.
Notice terms
Notice is a decision in itself: worked out in the role, spent on garden leave, or paid in lieu. David advises on which arrangement genuinely serves you.
Bonus and holiday pay
Settlement agreements commonly waive claims arising out of the employment, so accrued bonus, commission and holiday pay need to be clearly dealt with in the payments provisions. David checks that amounts still due to you are identified properly before you sign.
Confidentiality and non-disparagement wording
Wherever possible, David negotiates for these obligations to run both ways rather than binding only you. Confidentiality provisions cannot prevent a worker from making a protected disclosure under the Employment Rights Act 1996. David also checks that appropriate carve-outs are included for disclosures to regulators, the police and other bodies where necessary.
Restrictive covenants
Covenants are void as a restraint of trade unless they go no wider than reasonably necessary to protect a legitimate business interest. David reviews whether what you have been given is realistic or overreaching, and negotiates it down to a workable scope where it isn't.
Reference wording
Ideally agreed and annexed to the agreement, reference wording deserves as much attention as the headline figure. David negotiates this alongside the precise framing of the waiver of employment claims.
Continued benefits after termination
Garden leave, private medical cover, pension contributions and other benefits do not have to stop the day you leave. David negotiates for these to continue for an agreed period where there is room to ask for it.
Clawback and forfeiture clauses
Some contracts allow an employer to recover training costs, a sign-on bonus or relocation allowance if you leave within a specified period, while incentive plans may provide for unvested shares to be forfeited depending on your leaver status. David checks whether those provisions apply, whether the sums claimed are properly due, and whether there is scope to negotiate them as part of the exit.
Recent Exit Terms Outcomes
Case studies are anonymised. Past outcomes are not a guarantee of future results.
Send David Your Details for a Same-Day Response
Fill in the form below and we'll get back in touch with you.
No obligation. Your details are used only to respond to your enquiry.
Speak to David's team directly.
Completing the contact form is the fastest way to get support. Alternatively, you can reach us by phone:
020 3667 9935- Confidential same-day review of your exit terms
- David will confirm the fee position with you before you proceed.
From First Call to Resolution
Initial call
David gets clear on what has been offered and how close any deadline is.
Response within hours.Review and strategy
David reviews the offer against your contract, staff handbook and any bonus or commission scheme rules, and identifies the gaps: missing entitlements, unfair or overreaching terms, and clauses that bind you beyond what is reasonable.
Same day.Negotiation
David negotiates with your employer or their solicitor on the agreed points, keeping you updated but taking the direct contact off your hands.
Days.Sign-off
David advises you on the terms and effect of the agreement and its impact on your ability to pursue the claims it covers, then completes the adviser's certificate required by the agreement.
ResolvedWhat Clients Say About Working With David
I have worked with David for many many years and have recommended him to many senior executives needing advice on their settlement agreements. The best employment lawyer in London, I choose him every single time and can't recommend him enough.
I would have no hesitation in recommending David. At a very worrying time, he was 100% focused & professional, as well as sensitive. I feel he worked very hard for me and was a tremendous advocate on my behalf.
During a very worrying time, he was professional, focused, and extremely helpful, while also being kind and understanding. He worked tirelessly on my behalf and was a tremendous advocate throughout.
He went above and beyond to help me, reassured me throughout the process and was clear and transparent to ensure no hidden/surprise costs.
Exit Terms, Answered
The questions David is asked most often before clients pick up the phone.
View full FAQ →A settlement agreement sets out the terms on which your employment ends and usually requires you to give up specified employment claims in return for the payments and other terms agreed with your employer.
To validly settle statutory claims, it must be in writing, relate to the particular complaint or proceedings, and you must receive advice from a relevant independent adviser on its terms and effect and on your ability to pursue those claims. The adviser must be identified and appropriately insured, and the agreement must state that the applicable statutory conditions have been satisfied (Employment Rights Act 1996, section 203).
There are five potentially fair reasons for dismissal under section 98 of the Employment Rights Act 1996: capability or qualifications, conduct, redundancy, statutory restriction, and some other substantial reason. Employment can also end by mutual agreement, resignation or expiry of a fixed-term contract.
As at 2026, ordinary unfair dismissal claims generally require two years’ continuous employment, although no qualifying period applies to many automatically unfair dismissal claims. Under the Employment Rights Act 2025, the ordinary unfair dismissal qualifying period is due to reduce to six months for dismissals from 1 January 2027.
Say your notice period is three months. That is the time that must be worked, or paid in lieu, before employment ends under the contract. Your exit terms decide whether you work it, what settlement payment comes with it, what reference goes out at the end of it, and what you can do afterwards.
Not directly. The Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 mainly regulates clauses that exclude or limit liability in contracts, particularly in business and consumer agreements. Employment exit terms are instead governed by employment law, including the Employment Rights Act 1996 and, where relevant, the Equality Act 2010.