Employee Benefits
Severance Agreement
California
How to draft a severance agreement?
I recently accepted a severance agreement from my employer in order to leave my job. I would like to know how to draft a severance agreement to ensure that all of my rights and entitlements are included and that the agreement is legally sound. I want to make sure that I am fully aware of the terms and conditions of the agreement before I sign it.
1 Attorney answer
Answer
Employee Benefits
California
Gagandeep K.
ContractsCounsel verified
Typically, your employer drafts a severance agreement for employee's review and acceptance, and the employee may negotiate the severance agreement. A severance agreement generally contains severance pay, post-employment benefits (e.g., healthcare or 401K), release of certain claims/liability, non-compete, non-disclosure/confidentiality, return of company property, and other provisions. An employee should review the severance agreement carefully to ensure the scope of each provision and the limitations placed on the employee are valid, as this is a legal document and it may impact future employment opportunities. You may want to have an attorney review the severance agreement before signing it to make sure it complies with legal requirements and protects your rights as an employee. You can read more about severance agreements here: https://www.contractscounsel.com/t/g/us/employee-separation-agreement/11 or https://www.contractscounsel.com/t/g/us/severance-agreement/11.