For California workers
The honest answer
Have it reviewed first. A severance agreement is your employer buying certainty: in exchange for the payment, you're almost always releasing legal claims — including ones you may not know you have, like unpaid overtime or a retaliation story with real strength. You're allowed to take the packet home, have it read, ask questions, and negotiate. The pressure to sign on the spot is a tactic, not a rule.
The real question is what you'd be giving up: a severance priced against zero claims looks very different once a wage shortfall or a retaliation timeline enters the math. An attorney reads the release, weighs what your facts might support, and tells you whether the number is fair — sometimes the honest advice is sign it, sometimes it's negotiate, sometimes it's don't. You want that read before the ink, and our intake can organize your story tonight.
It's uncommon — and telling if they do. Asking for time to have an agreement reviewed is ordinary, professional, and in some situations legally protected. A same-day ultimatum is a red flag worth mentioning to an attorney.
Sometimes. Releases don't reach every kind of claim, some rights can't be waived, and some agreements have revocation windows or enforceability problems. Bring the signed copy — the answer lives in its language.
You can — especially where the circumstances of the separation carry legal risk for the employer. Severance is a negotiation, and knowing the strength of your facts is your leverage. That's precisely what a case review is for.
Any hour means any hour
Tell us about the severance review situation the way you'd tell a friend. We'll organize every detail and book your video call with a California employment attorney.
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