Our Sundeep Bhatia qualified in 1992 and has lots of experience in dealing with settlement agreements. Sundeep is also a Member of the Employment Law Committee of the Law Society of England and Wales. Here, at Beaumonde Law Practice, in South Harrow, near to Rayners Lane, Eastcote, Uxbridge, Ruislip, Pinner, Northwood and Watford, you will only see our Sundeep Bhatia. There are no Juniors or trainees.
In this article, Sundeep explains what makes him special in the field of advising regarding settlement agreements.
Settlement agreements are bread and butter work for a specialist employment law solicitor, such as myself.
Over the years, I have advised numerous clients over the form and effect of signing settlement agreements.
A settlement agreement is a legal document which outlines the agreement reached to settle disputes between you and your employer.
It is a golden pair of handcuffs, for you, and a piece of mind insurance policy, for your employer. In return for an offer of money, and/or in return for a neutral or positive reference, you agree to sign the agreement and to give up most of your rights to take legal action against your employer.
Settlement agreements are attractive to employers because they settle most employment related claims for less then might be awarded if you brought a successful claim, against your employer , at an Employment tribunal, or at a county court.
They can be attractive to you, as a client, because they settle employment disputes without the need for the expense, time and stress involved in bringing a legal claim against your employer.
The best news is that, in most cases, your employer will pay a contribution , towards your legal costs, for me to advise you regarding the consequences of signing a settlement agreement and for completing a certificate indicating that I have given you that advice.
In many cases, the contribution from your employer means that I will not charge you personally for the advice I give you regarding the signing of the agreement.
This contribution by your employer, towards your legal costs, is not an act of charity . This is because a settlement agreement cannot be enforced unless you have received independent legal advice, before you sign it.
Never allow your employer to insist that you go to a specific solicitor because you have a free choice as to where you go to to be advised. You are better off choosing an independent solicitor of your choice, such as this firm, because you can then be certain that the solicitor has no connection with your employer.
I do not just advise you regarding the effect of signing the settlement agreement.
I ensure that the wording of the agreement protect your interests.
I also do my best to ensure that your employer gives you a better package, by means of signing the agreement, then you would get if you did not sign it.
There has to be an incentive for you to sign the agreement.
That being said, I have seen many draft settlement agreement where employees are no better off, financially or otherwise, by means of signing the agreement, then they would have been if they had not signed it.
Under those circumstances, I would have no hesitation in recommending you not to sign the agreement or, alternatively, I would try and negotiate a better package for you.
The trick in negotiating is finding the sweet spot , taking into consideration an employer’s appetite to avoid a claim and a frank assessment as to what is a reasonable settlement figure is.
Twenty seven years of legal experience have given me the ability to judge what the sweet spot is and to , in many cases, secure you a better deal.
I can be reached at sundeep.bhatia@beaumonde-law.co.uk or you can telephone me on 02088681614 or 07803727534.
Please let me know if I can be of service to you.
I have no hesitation in going the extra mile to get you, my client, the very best package that I can.
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