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If you’re in the Coventry area and have been offered a settlement agreement, we can provide expert specialist advice and help. Our specialist employment solicitors will advise you on the terms and effects of your settlement agreement at no cost to you, since your employer covers our fees in almost every case. We offer a fast sign-off service if the deal is right, including same day appointments when needed. Advice is given by phone or video.
Start My Settlement or call 0800 861 1883 today.
Coventry – Settlement Agreement Solicitors
Have you been offered a settlement agreement in Coventry? Whether it has come from a car maker, an energy company, a building society, a university or the NHS, the same rule applies. You can only validly give up your statutory employment claims if you have first had advice on the agreement from a relevant independent adviser. Without that advice, the clauses in which you waive your claims do not work.
That is why your employer is asking you to take advice, and it is also why your employer usually pays for it. A contribution towards your legal fees is a standard term. Where one is offered we cap our fee at that contribution and bill your employer directly, so in almost every case there is nothing for you to pay.
Call 0800 861 1883 to speak to a specialist settlement agreement solicitor. Advice is given by telephone or video call across Coventry and Warwickshire, and same-day appointments are usually available.
Coventry settlement agreements: key facts
| Question | Answer |
| Who pays for the advice? | Your employer, in almost every case |
| How is advice given? | By telephone or video call, often the same day |
| Minimum time to consider the written terms | 10 calendar days as a general rule (Acas Code, para 12) |
| Tribunal for Coventry (CV) postcodes | Midlands (West) Employment Tribunal, Birmingham B5 4UU |
| Does Coventry have its own employment tribunal? | No. Coventry Combined Court Centre does not hear claims against employers |
| Tax-free allowance on compensation | Usually the first £30,000 |
Settlement agreements and Coventry’s employers
Coventry’s larger employers fall into three broad groups.
Automotive and engineering
JLR has its global headquarters and Powertrain Engineering at Whitley, and the London EV Company builds its electric taxis and vans at Ansty Park. Around them sits a supply chain of engineering, software and testing businesses across Coventry and Warwickshire.
- Restructuring exits. Offers in this sector often arrive during a restructure. Check that the settlement sum is better than the redundancy package you would receive anyway, including any enhanced scheme, and not simply the same money with a waiver of your claims attached.
- Restrictive covenants. Engineers, product specialists and commercial staff often have non-compete and non-solicitation clauses. A settlement agreement usually restates them and may pay part of the settlement sum for them, so this is a good moment to ask for them to be narrowed or released.
- Confidentiality and intellectual property. Check that any confidentiality clause still allows the disclosures the law protects, and that nothing stops you using the general skills and know-how you take to your next job.
Energy, utilities and financial services
E.ON UK has its registered office at Westwood Business Park, Severn Trent’s is at the Severn Trent Centre on St John’s Street, and Coventry Building Society has owned The Co-operative Bank since 1 January 2025. Agreements from employers like these often turn on variable pay. Check what the agreement says about this year’s bonus, deferred awards and any share plan, because the plan rules usually decide whether you leave as a “good leaver”, and the agreement should confirm how you will be treated.
If you work for a bank, building society or other FCA-regulated firm, take care with any promise about your reference. Under FCA rule SYSC 22.5.13R a firm “must not enter into any arrangements or agreements with any person that limit its ability to disclose information under this chapter”. A clean regulatory reference is therefore not something the firm can lawfully promise. What you can agree is the wording of your ordinary employment reference, and you should check that nothing in the agreement conflicts with what the firm must disclose.
Health, education and the public sector
University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust runs major hospitals in Coventry and Rugby. The city is also home to the University of Warwick and Coventry University, and to Coventry City Council.
Many exits run through a set scheme, such as voluntary severance or, in the NHS, a mutually agreed resignation scheme.
What makes a settlement agreement legally binding
Section 203(3) of the Employment Rights Act 1996 sets out six conditions. If any one of them is not met, the waiver of your statutory claims does not take effect:
- The agreement must be in writing.
- It must relate to the particular proceedings. A general waiver of “all claims” is not enough on its own. In Hinton v University of East London [2005] EWCA Civ 532 the Court of Appeal allowed the employee’s appeal on this point. Smith LJ said at paragraph 33 that claims should be identified “either by a generic description such as ‘unfair dismissal’ or by reference to the section of the statute giving rise to the claim”. Mummery LJ made the same point at paragraphs 22 to 25.
- You must have received advice from a relevant independent adviser on the terms and effect of the agreement, and in particular its effect on your ability to bring an employment tribunal claim.
- The adviser must have insurance or professional indemnity cover in force when the advice is given.
- The agreement must identify the adviser.
- The agreement must state that the statutory conditions have been met.
Under section 203(3A) the adviser can be a qualified lawyer, a certified trade union official or a certified advice centre worker. Most people choose a solicitor, and our guide explains what a settlement agreement solicitor does.
Read the list of claims you are giving up carefully, because a waiver can reach further than you might expect. In Bathgate v Technip Singapore Pte Ltd [2023] CSIH 48 the Inner House of the Court of Session held that claims not yet known about can be validly waived if the agreement identifies them in clear and unequivocal terms. It is a Scottish decision, so it is persuasive rather than binding in England and Wales, but employers’ lawyers now draft with it in mind.
How long do you have to decide?
Paragraph 12 of the Acas Code of Practice on Settlement Agreements says that, as a general rule, you should be given a minimum of 10 calendar days to consider the proposed formal written terms and take independent advice, unless the parties agree otherwise.
That is guidance, not a statutory deadline. In Gallagher v McKinnon’s Auto and Tyres Ltd [2024] EAT 174 an employee was given 48 hours to consider a verbal offer. The Employment Appeal Tribunal dismissed his appeal, finding the employer’s conduct was not improper on the facts. At paragraph 39 it explained that the Code’s ten days attach to the proposed formal written terms, and it rejected the argument that the Code draws no distinction between verbal and written offers. At paragraph 40 it accepted that the line between an oral and a written offer cannot always be drawn, so each case turns on its circumstances. At paragraph 37 it confirmed there is no onus on the employee to show prejudice.
In practice: a short deadline is not unlawful in itself, but combined with other pressure it can amount to improper behaviour. If you are asked to sign by the end of the day, ask for more time; most employers agree. Our guide to the 10 days to consider a settlement agreement explains what to do if you are being rushed.
Frequently asked questions
Where would a tribunal claim from Coventry be heard?
Coventry does not have its own employment tribunal. Coventry Combined Court Centre on Much Park Street (CV1 2SN) deals with crime, money claims, housing, bankruptcy and family cases, but it does not list claims against employers. Claims from Coventry are dealt with by the Midlands (West) Employment Tribunal, Centre City Tower, 13th Floor, 5-7 Hill Street, Birmingham B5 4UU. You do not start a claim by going to a building: a claim form (ET1) is usually presented online and then allocated to a region. Where and how a hearing takes place, including whether it is held by video, is a matter for the tribunal.
I work in Nuneaton, Rugby, Kenilworth or Hinckley. Does the same apply to me?
Yes. The law on settlement agreements is the same across England and Wales, and we advise by phone and video wherever you are. HMCTS guidance T420 says the tribunal office dealing with a claim is normally decided by the postcode of the place where you worked. Every CV postcode, which covers Coventry, Nuneaton, Bedworth, Rugby, Kenilworth and Leamington Spa, is allocated to Midlands (West) in Birmingham. Hinckley is the exception: its LE10 postcode is allocated to Midlands (East), which sits at Nottingham Justice Centre.
My employer says the offer is part of a redundancy programme. Can I still negotiate?
Yes. An offer made during a restructure is still an offer, and it is often only the starting point. Compare it with what you would receive through the redundancy process anyway: statutory redundancy pay, any enhanced scheme, notice pay and holiday. If the agreement asks you to give up claims without paying you more than that, ask why. The leaving date, pay in lieu of notice, the agreed reference, your restrictive covenants and help with outplacement are all commonly negotiated.
Who pays for settlement agreement advice?
Your employer, in almost every case. A contribution towards your legal fees is a standard term. Where one is offered we cap our fee at that contribution and invoice your employer directly. That is our cost promise.
Is my settlement payment tax free?
The first £30,000 of a genuine compensation payment for loss of employment can usually be paid without deduction of tax. Notice pay, contractual payments, accrued holiday and bonuses are taxed in the normal way. Our guide explains whether the payment is tax free in more detail.
Settlement agreement fact
You can sign a settlement agreement without legal advice and still create a binding contract. What fails is the waiver of your statutory employment claims. Under section 203(3) of the Employment Rights Act 1996, that waiver only works if you have received advice from a relevant independent adviser who is insured and identified in the agreement.
Related reading
- What is a settlement agreement? (our main guide)
- Redundancy and settlement agreements
- 10 days to consider a settlement agreement
- Is the payment tax free?
- Acas Code of Practice on Settlement Agreements
- Midlands (West) Employment Tribunal on the GOV.UK court and tribunal finder
Speak to a Coventry settlement agreement solicitor
Telephone: 0800 861 1883
Email: hello@settlementagreement.co.uk
Send us your agreement and we will call you back the same working day wherever possible.
John Hassells, employment solicitor is Head of Legal at settlementagreement.co.uk. John has over 20 years’ experience advising employees and employers on employment law and is a member of the Employment Lawyers Association. John Hassells is personally regulated by the SRA (SRA No. 168501).
Last reviewed: October 2026
Legal disclaimer
The contents of this page are intended to be for general information purposes only and do not amount to (nor are they intended to be) legal, tax or financial advice or a complete or authoritative statement of the law nor should they be treated as such. No warranty or promise is given, express or implied, as to accuracy of the information on this page and no liability is accepted for any error or omission. You should instruct a specialist employment solicitor to advise you on your particular situation and not act or rely on the information on this page.
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