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Severance Agreement Attorney in Minneapolis

Employee-Only Counsel Before You Sign or Respond

A severance agreement may offer compensation or continued benefits in exchange for releasing employment-related claims. Before signing, you need to understand what you’ll receive, which rights you’ll give up, what obligations will continue after employment, and when you must respond.

The circumstances behind the separation matter too. A termination following discrimination, harassment, retaliation, unequal pay, or a leave-related conflict may require analysis beyond the contract itself. Our Minneapolis severance agreement attorneys examine the proposed terms alongside the events that led to the offer.

Call (515) 497-9409 to discuss your severance agreement before you sign or respond.

Representing Employees in Employment Disputes Since 2009

We represent employees and individuals, not employers. At Newkirk Zwagerman, P.L.C., we have handled employment and civil rights cases involving private employers, public entities, and educational institutions since 2009. Our attorneys are licensed in Minnesota and Iowa. We tailor our strategy to each client’s circumstances and goals, whether the case calls for advice, negotiation, or litigation.

Terms to Examine in a Severance Agreement

The proposed payment is only one part of the decision. The agreement may affect your existing legal rights, future work options, benefits, and ability to discuss the separation.

A careful review may address:

Release of claims: The agreement may waive discrimination, retaliation, wage, contract, and other employment-related claims.
Severance pay and benefits: The offer should be compared with compensation or benefits you may already be owed under applicable law, an employment document, a policy, or an established plan.
Confidentiality and nondisparagement: These provisions may restrict what you can disclose or say after employment ends.
Post-employment restrictions: Noncompetition, nonsolicitation, cooperation, intellectual property, and return-of-property terms may create continuing obligations.
References and communications: The agreement may control how the employer responds to reference requests or describes the separation.
Taxes and deadlines: Payment structure, withholding language, consideration periods, and signing deadlines can affect your decision.

How the Termination Affects the Legal Analysis

An employer’s description of a separation as a layoff, restructuring, performance decision, or resignation doesn’t determine whether you may have a workplace claim. The analysis may turn on the timing of the termination, prior complaints, accommodation or leave requests, pay differences, performance history, discipline, and the treatment of comparable employees.

Preserve the proposed agreement, termination communications, employment policies, performance records, pay information, and relevant workplace messages. These materials can help our attorneys evaluate both the release language and the events that preceded the offer.

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Severance Agreement Review for Minneapolis Employees

We begin by reviewing the agreement and the facts surrounding the end of your employment. We’ll ask about your employment dates, employer, compensation, stated reason for termination, and the events that led you to seek legal assistance.

Depending on the circumstances, a review can involve:

Explaining the terms: We identify the rights being released and the obligations that would continue after signing.
Assessing workplace claims: We consider whether the separation may involve discrimination, harassment, retaliation, unequal pay, or another employment dispute.
Identifying priorities: We discuss your financial concerns, legal risks, and goals before considering possible next steps.
Evaluating proposed changes: When negotiation is appropriate, we can identify terms to raise with the employer and communicate proposed revisions.

The appropriate response depends on whether you’re considering an initial offer, reviewing revised language, approaching a deadline, or seeking advice after signing. Our Minneapolis severance lawyers provide free case evaluations virtually and in person.

Federal & Minnesota Rules That May Affect a Release

Your age, the agreement’s language, the claims involved, and the circumstances of the separation can affect review periods and enforceability. Several federal and Minnesota rules may apply.

Age-Discrimination Waivers

The Older Workers Benefit Protection Act sets requirements for waiving federal age-discrimination claims. If you’re 40 or older, you generally must receive at least 21 days to consider an individual agreement and seven days after signing to revoke it. A group termination program generally requires a 45-day consideration period and additional disclosures.

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Rights

A severance agreement can release certain discrimination claims, but it can’t lawfully prohibit you from filing a charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or participating in an agency investigation or proceeding. Whether you may personally recover after signing a valid release is a separate question that depends on the agreement and applicable law.

Minnesota Unemployment Benefits

Under Minnesota law, an agreement waiving or releasing rights under the Minnesota Unemployment Insurance Law is void. Severance pay may still delay or reduce benefit eligibility for the period represented by the payment, depending on the applicable rules.

This information is general and isn’t a substitute for advice about a specific agreement. Before relying on any deadline, waiver, or benefits rule, have an attorney review the actual language and the facts surrounding your separation.

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Understand the Agreement Before You Decide

Contact us for a free, confidential consultation before signing, responding to a revision, or allowing a deadline to pass. We can discuss the proposed terms, the circumstances of your employment termination, potential workplace protections, financial concerns, and available next steps.

Have the proposed agreement and relevant employment records available when you contact us. Reviewing both can reveal provisions and underlying events that deserve closer attention before you decide how to proceed.

Call (515) 497-9409 to speak with our Minneapolis severance attorneys before you respond.

Severance Agreement Attorney in Minneapolis

Employee-Only Counsel Before You Sign or Respond

Representing Employees in Employment Disputes Since 2009

Terms to Examine in a Severance Agreement

How the Termination Affects the Legal Analysis

Severance Agreement Review for Minneapolis Employees

Federal & Minnesota Rules That May Affect a Release

Age-Discrimination Waivers

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Rights

Minnesota Unemployment Benefits

Defending Your Dignity Championing Your Rights

See What Sets Newkirk Zwagerman Apart

Understand the Agreement Before You Decide

Newkirk Zwagerman Your Voice. Amplified.

Connect With us Today

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