All our lawyers regularly advise English-speaking clients and speak English perfectly.

They gave you a settlement agreement. Don’t sign it yet. If HR says the offer expires Friday, remember: pressure has no legal force in Germany, and an unsigned Aufhebungsvertrag binds nobody. Deadlines like „72 hours“ are a negotiation tactic — one of our clients was given three days, we showed the pressure was legally meaningless and doubled the package.

What an Aufhebungsvertrag really is

A mutual termination contract that replaces a dismissal. For your employer it removes all litigation risk. That risk has a price — and it is the basis of your negotiation, not the „0.5 gross monthly salaries per year of service“ rule of thumb HR likes to quote.

The trap internationals rarely see: the benefit blocking period

Signing a settlement agreement can trigger a 12-week suspension of unemployment benefit (Sperrzeit), because the agencies treat it as quitting voluntarily. Whether — and how — this can be avoided depends on the wording. Never sign without having this checked.

What we negotiate besides the headline number

Termination date (every extra month counts), bonus, commission and equity treatment, release from duty to work (garden leave), the grade of your reference letter, non-compete waivers, and tax-optimised payout structure.

Our track record

94 % of cases end in a settlement; 97 % end with a higher severance than first offered. Example: redundancy after 14 years, first offer 1.5 monthly salaries — result after four weeks of negotiation, without going to court: 8 monthly salaries.

Send us the draft agreement before you sign anything. Free Quick Check — answer today.