Karlin Legal reviews and negotiates executive severance agreements for Chicago employees, managers, professionals, and high earners.
Executive severance is rarely just about one number. For executives, managers, professionals, sales employees, and high-earning employees, a severance agreement may affect compensation, equity, bonus rights, benefits, references, reputation, confidentiality, non-disparagement, non-compete obligations, and the ability to move forward. Brad Karlin helps employees understand what they are being asked to release and whether the package, language, and timing make sense.
Executive Severance Issues Brad Reviews
- Severance pay, payment timing, and continuation of benefits
- Bonus, commission, deferred compensation, and equity issues
- Release of legal claims and waiver language
- Non-disparagement, confidentiality, cooperation, and reference provisions
- Non-compete, non-solicit, and restrictive covenant terms
- Reputation protection, transition communications, and return-of-property issues
Why Severance Review Matters
A severance offer often arrives when an employee is under pressure. The employer may create a short response deadline, describe the offer as standard, or suggest that negotiation is not possible. A careful review can identify whether the agreement is broader than expected, whether unpaid compensation is missing, whether legal claims may exist, or whether the proposed language creates avoidable problems.
Severance issues often overlap with severance agreement review, employment contracts and restrictive covenants, wages, commissions, and bonuses, retaliation, or wrongful termination.
Good-Fit Executive Severance Matters
Karlin Legal is often a good fit when the severance package involves meaningful compensation, a significant release of claims, restrictive covenants, disputed performance issues, unpaid compensation, executive-level reputation concerns, or a termination timeline that suggests discrimination, retaliation, protected leave, whistleblowing, or another legal issue.
Useful Records To Gather
- The severance agreement and any deadline information
- Offer letters, employment agreements, commission plans, and equity documents
- Recent reviews, discipline, termination communications, and HR emails
- Records of unpaid bonuses, commissions, expenses, or promised compensation
Executive Severance FAQ
Should I negotiate an executive severance agreement?
Sometimes. Negotiation depends on leverage, unpaid compensation, possible legal claims, restrictive covenants, timing, and how important references or transition language may be.
What makes executive severance different?
Executive agreements often involve bonus rights, equity, deferred compensation, reputation concerns, non-competes, confidentiality, cooperation, and broader releases than ordinary separation paperwork.
Can a severance review happen quickly?
Often, yes. If a deadline is approaching, gather the agreement, employment contract, compensation records, termination documents, and any relevant HR communications as soon as possible.
Talk Before You Sign
Before signing a severance agreement, request a confidential review or call (312) 870-0043.