Your employer's lawyers drafted the separation agreement. Before you sign, have a Washington employment lawyer read it.
What You Give Up
A separation agreement trades money for legal claims. A typical release gives up the right to sue for discrimination, retaliation, wrongful termination, or unpaid wages, including claims no one has spotted yet. Once the agreement is signed and any revocation period ends, the release is generally binding. The severance figure is the company's offer, not a fixed price.
What We Review
We read the release and every provision that follows you out the door: confidentiality and non-disparagement clauses, non-competition and non-solicitation covenants, choice-of-law and forum terms, the earlier agreements the document incorporates by reference, and the deadline to sign. Then we examine the facts of your termination. Washington law limits several of these provisions.
Your Right to Speak
Washington voids any provision that bars an employee from discussing conduct the employee reasonably believed was illegal discrimination, illegal harassment, illegal retaliation, a wage and hour violation, or sexual assault. An employer may still require you to keep the settlement amount confidential.
Age 40 and Over
Federal law gives a worker 40 or older at least 21 days to consider a release of age discrimination claims, or 45 days in a group layoff, and 7 days to revoke it after signing. These periods are among the federal requirements for a valid release of age discrimination claims.
How It Works
Book a one-hour virtual Severance Package Review with Matthew Ennis. Send the agreement and a short timeline before the meeting. Matthew reviews the agreement and discusses the options available.
Before the Deadline
Most separation agreements set a deadline to sign. Book your review well before it.
This page offers general information about Washington employment law. It is not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. How the law applies depends on the terms of a particular agreement and the facts of a particular case.