Severance Agreements and Employment Contracts in Westfield NJ
We have deep experience negotiating, reviewing, and preparing a wide range of employment-related agreements and documents for clients, including:
- Severance packages
- Employment contracts
- Non-compete covenants
- Confidentiality agreements
Separation and Severance Agreements
When you leave a job, whether you quit or are fired, your employer may present you with a severance agreement. These agreements may promise some compensation or continued benefits — but only if you sign away your right to sue the employer. While severance packages are often presented as a “take it or leave it” proposition. We frequently help many employees negotiate more favorable terms. Before you give up your valuable legal rights, let us advise you.
You will have to weigh many factors in determining whether to accept the agreement offered to you. For example are you being ask to give up valuable claims that should or may entitle you to greater compensation. Does the agreement offered to you provide for positive references, health insurance, outplacement assistance? Does it address and secure your rights to unemployment compensation? Does it protect you from disparagement? In addition, there will often be other terms or restrictions in these agreements that you will have to assess that can impact your career and job opportunities, including for example confidentiality, non-disclosure, non-competition and cooperation provisions.
Contact us, so that we may help you understand, evaluate the employer’s proposed agreement, come up with an effective exit strategy and help you obtain a reasonable agreement that addresses your needs.
Employment Contracts
We advise and advocate for employees who need help understanding and negotiating employment agreements. Our core practice involves drafting, negotiating, and revising employment contracts for every type of employment relationship, including permanent and temporary employees, executives and independent contractors. If you have been presented with an employment contract, you may have questions about the terms of your compensation, restrictive covenants, confidentiality requirements, trade secret protections, and more. The terms of your compensation: salaries, bonuses, commissions, range of insurance and pension benefits, stock entitlements and fringe benefits can be quite complicated.
We can explain your legal rights and obligations and help you negotiate the favorable terms in your contract.
Lawsuits for Breach of Contract
Many employment relationships are at will, which means either the employer or the employee can terminate the employment at any time, for any legal reason. However, some employers enter into employment contracts with their employees, either by signing a written agreement or by making promises, orally or in writing, upon which employees rely. These agreements are contractual obligations the employer must fulfill.
If an employer violates the terms of the agreement (for example, by firing you for reasons not allowed by the contract or by refusing to give you a raise or bonus promised in the contract), you may have a legal claim for breach of contract and also may have a violation under local wage laws.
Our attorneys have significant experience in handling breach of contract claims on behalf of employees, and we will fight to get you the compensation or other damages to which you are entitled.
