Birmingham Severance Review & Negotiation
Before you sign a severance agreement, understand the payment, the rights you may release, and the restrictions that could follow you into your next job.
Aventus Law PLLC helps employees in Birmingham and throughout Alabama review severance offers and evaluate negotiation options. Call (205) 210-8533 for 24/7 intake. Tell us your signing deadline and whether you have already signed.
Understand what you are signing
A severance agreement often offers money or benefits in exchange for a release of employment-related claims. The amount matters, but so do the obligations attached to it. Review the complete agreement and any documents it incorporates before deciding whether to sign.
Our review can address payment timing, benefits, bonuses or commissions, references, confidentiality, non-disparagement, cooperation duties, restrictive covenants, and repayment provisions. We identify unclear terms and discuss how the proposed release relates to potential discrimination, retaliation, or other employment concerns. Enforceability depends on the language, facts, and applicable law.
Bring the offer, employment agreements, relevant policies, compensation records, and a short account of your separation. Preserve only records you lawfully possess. Tell us your priorities, including financial stability, future employment, reputation, and closure. We can then discuss the scope and cost of a review or negotiation before representation begins.
Negotiate with your next step in mind
A first offer is a starting point for evaluation, not a promise that the employer will improve it. Depending on the circumstances, negotiation may focus on additional pay, payment dates, benefit contributions, reference language, or changes to ongoing obligations. A useful proposal connects your priorities to the facts and the terms the employer is asking you to accept.
We consider your employment history, existing agreements, the stated reason for separation, and any potential claims. Strong and difficult facts both matter. The goal is an informed decision about whether to accept, request changes, or consider another course. No particular payment or negotiated result can be guaranteed.
If negotiation is appropriate and within the agreed representation, Aventus can communicate proposed revisions and evaluate the employer’s response. Do not assume a discussion or counteroffer extends the signing deadline. Ask for any extension in writing, and keep every version of the agreement.
Act before a deadline
For employees age 40 or older, a severance release of federal age-discrimination claims generally must provide at least 21 days to consider an individual offer and seven days after signing to revoke. A covered group exit-incentive or termination program generally requires at least 45 days to consider the offer and additional disclosures. These are not universal deadlines for every separation agreement; settlements of an existing EEOC charge or lawsuit follow different rules.
Do not wait until the last day. Signing and revocation periods are distinct from deadlines for employment claims. Contacting Aventus does not file a charge, stop a deadline, or create an extension. If you already signed, promptly tell us the date and provide the agreement rather than assuming your options are closed.
Contact Aventus Law PLLC at (205) 210-8533 or use our contact form to discuss Birmingham severance review and negotiation. Start with your deadline, employer’s name, and a safe way to reach you.
General information, not legal advice for a particular situation. Contacting the firm does not by itself create an attorney-client relationship. Representation requires the firm’s agreement.