FOR EMPLOYEES
Severance Package Review Lawyers
Expert Assessment of Termination Offers
If you’ve received a severance or termination offer, professional legal review is essential before signing. Employers often present packages meeting only minimum statutory requirements while your true entitlements may be significantly higher. At Greenwood Law, our severance package review lawyers assess offers comprehensively, identify undervalued components, and negotiate enhanced terms ensuring you receive full compensation.
Greenwood Law Team
Greenwood Law’s severance review specialists bring over 15 years of combined expertise in employment termination compensation, severance negotiations, and wrongful dismissal entitlements across diverse industries and organizational levels.
Understanding Severance Packages
Severance packages represent compensation provided upon termination without cause, typically including notice pay, statutory severance (if eligible), benefits continuation, vacation pay, and sometimes additional elements like bonuses or outplacement assistance.
- Statutory vs. Common Law: Employment standards legislation sets minimum severance requirements, but common law reasonable notice often entitles employees to significantly more compensation based on individual circumstances.
- Package Components: Comprehensive severance includes salary continuation, statutory severance pay, benefits throughout notice period, accrued vacation, prorated bonuses, and other compensation elements.
- Release Provisions: Severance agreements typically require employees to release legal claims against employers, making thorough review essential before signing.
Common Severance Package Issues
Insufficient Notice Periods
Offers based on statutory minimums (typically weeks) when common law reasonable notice should provide months based on age, service, position, and job market factors.
Missing Compensation Elements
Excluded bonuses, commissions, benefits, stock options, pension contributions, or other regular compensation components that should continue throughout notice periods.
Inadequate Benefits Continuation
Limited benefits coverage when employees are entitled to full employer-paid benefits throughout entire reasonable notice periods including health, dental, disability, and life insurance.
Restrictive Covenant Concerns
Overly broad non-competition, non-solicitation, or confidentiality provisions limiting future employment opportunities beyond reasonable legal standards.
Problematic Release Language
Release provisions extending beyond termination-related claims to waive unrelated rights or requiring excessive confidentiality preventing future legal consultations.
Artificial Deadlines
Pressure to sign within unreasonably short timeframes when employees have substantial time to consider offers and seek legal advice before accepting.
Strategic Severance Negotiation
Comprehensive Offer Assessment
Detailed analysis of all severance components against statutory entitlements and common law reasonable notice calculations based on your specific circumstances and local precedents.
Enhanced Package Negotiation
Strategic negotiation with employers seeking improved terms including extended notice periods, enhanced benefits continuation, retained bonuses, and favorable reference provisions.
Contract Review and Revision
Examination of existing employment contracts identifying unenforceable provisions that may entitle you to enhanced severance beyond contract terms.
Release Negotiation
Ensuring release provisions appropriately limit waived claims while protecting valuable rights and allowing reasonable future legal consultations if necessary.
Common Wrongful Dismissal Scenarios
Termination Without Cause or Notice
Sudden dismissal without advance notice, working notice period, or adequate compensation representing your reasonable notice entitlement.
Insufficient Severance Offers
Employer offers that meet only minimum statutory requirements but fall short of common law reasonable notice entitlements.
False Just Cause Allegations
Terminations labeled “for cause” without sufficient evidence or proper progressive discipline, denying you severance and notice pay.
Protected Leave Terminations
Dismissals occurring during or shortly after pregnancy leave, disability leave, or other protected absences potentially violating human rights.
Constructive Dismissal Situations
Fundamental employment changes imposed unilaterally forcing resignation, including demotions, pay cuts, or intolerable working conditions.
Hear From Our Clients
Expert Severance Package Review
Partner with experienced employment lawyers who maximize termination compensation through comprehensive offer assessment and strategic negotiation with employers.
Table of Contents
Hear From Our Clients
Expert Severance Package Review
Partner with experienced employment lawyers who maximize termination compensation through comprehensive offer assessment and strategic negotiation with employers.
Why Choose Greenwood Law
Specialized Severance Expertise
Our team possesses comprehensive knowledge of severance entitlement calculations, negotiation strategies, and contract enforceability issues that maximize employee compensation recovery.
Strategic Negotiation Skills
We negotiate confidently with employers and their counsel, securing enhanced packages significantly exceeding initial offers through effective advocacy and legal knowledge.
Thorough Package Analysis
We examine every compensation element ensuring bonuses, benefits, pension contributions, stock options, and other components are properly valued and included.
Responsive Service
We understand termination creates time sensitivity and financial stress, providing prompt review, clear guidance, and decisive action protecting your interests.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should comprehensive severance review include?
Thorough review examines notice pay calculations, statutory severance eligibility, benefits continuation, bonus and commission entitlements, termination clause enforceability, release provision scope, and comparison against common law entitlements based on your circumstances.
Can I negotiate after signing severance agreements?
Once signed, severance agreements are typically binding and final. Early legal review before accepting is crucial to avoid unintentionally waiving valuable rights or accepting inadequate compensation.
Will I always receive more than statutory severance?
Not automatically, but common law entitlements often significantly exceed statutory minimums for employees with longer service, senior positions, advanced age, or limited re-employment prospects in their fields or locations.
How are bonuses and benefits handled in severance?
Bonuses, commissions, stock options, pension contributions, and benefits forming part of regular compensation should continue throughout reasonable notice periods. We ensure all compensation elements are properly valued and included.
What is a release provision and why does it matter?
Release clauses require employees to waive legal claims against employers in exchange for severance. Professional review ensures releases are appropriate, properly scoped, and not waiving valuable rights beyond termination-related claims.
What if my employment contract limits severance?
Contracts attempting to limit severance to statutory minimums may be unenforceable if improperly drafted, missing required provisions, or failing to comply with employment standards. Courts may void inadequate clauses, allowing full common law claims.
Contact Greenwood Law
If you’ve received a severance offer, contact Greenwood Law for professional review before signing. Early consultation protects your rights, identifies undervalued components, and positions you for successful negotiation securing maximum compensation.
Areas We Serve
At Greenwood Law, we proudly serve clients across Ontario & throughout Canada, including:
