Job offer and service agreement negotiation

You have just been head-hunted and you would like to accept the job offer but are unsure about the content of the offer.

The first stage, is to make sure you can accept the offer without breaching any post termination restrictions in your existing contract of employment. If you have this type of restriction, we can help you assess their enforceability and any subsequent negotiation to remove them.

Your second step is to ask for all documents from the potential new employer, typically, this would be your contract of employment, benefits, bonus provisions, share options etc., so that you can get a full picture of the new job offer.

The first draft of a senior contract of employment will usually be very pro employer. We can help you redress the balance and also include terms which are missing, such benefits promised during the job offer process. We can also help you negotiate the terms of onerous clauses such as long probationary periods, wide mobility clauses, restrictive covenants, deletion of your Linkedin contacts.

Remember that during the first two years of employment, your main protection against dismissal will be your contract of employment as you will have insufficient length of service to claim unfair dismissal. It is essential that you have the right documents in place.