How we're paid. In full
We think this should be completely transparent, so here it is without the small print.
The short version: our service costs you nothing. We're paid a referral fee by the solicitor firm we introduce you to, funded from the legal fee contribution your employer already pays as part of your settlement agreement. Not from your pocket.
Why solicitor fees are usually covered by your employer
UK law requires you to receive independent legal advice before a settlement agreement is valid. Without it, the agreement can't legally waive your employment rights. Because employers need the agreement to be valid, almost every one includes a fixed contribution towards your legal fees. Typically between £350 and £750 plus VAT. Paid directly to the solicitor. This is standard, expected practice across the UK. Not something we've arranged specially.
In practice, this means the vast majority of people who come to us pay nothing at all. Whatever your employer contributes, typically £350–£750, is what we charge, so there's no bill to you at any point.
One honest caveat: if your situation is more complex. For example, if there's real negotiation to be done, or your solicitor needs to spend significant extra time on your case. The employer's standard contribution may not cover the full cost. A good solicitor will always tell you this upfront, before any extra cost is incurred, so you're never caught out.
What we are
Settlement Agreement Guide is not a law firm, and we are not solicitors. We're an introducer: we help you understand your settlement agreement in plain English, and if you'd like, we connect you with an independent solicitor, regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), who is genuinely independent of your employer and gives you the legal advice and sign-off the law requires.
Our referral fee
When we introduce you to a solicitor and you go on to instruct them, the solicitor firm pays us a referral fee. Currently set at 25% of the fee they receive for your case. This is paid by the solicitor firm out of the fee your employer's contribution covers. You are never billed for this, and it never reduces the settlement amount you're offered.
- You pay nothing. Not to us, and not to the solicitor, in the vast majority of straightforward cases where the employer's standard contribution covers the fee
- Our fee comes from the solicitor, not from you or your settlement money
- You're never obliged to use our recommended solicitor. You can choose your own at any time, at no cost or penalty to you
- The solicitor remains independent. Our referral fee arrangement has no bearing on the advice they give you, which they're professionally and legally required to give in your best interests
When might there be a cost to you?
In rare cases, if your case is unusually complex and requires more work than the employer's standard contribution covers, the solicitor may discuss an additional fee with you directly before doing any extra work. This would always be agreed with you upfront, in writing, before you owe anything. Never as a surprise.
Our commitment to you
- We'll always tell you plainly if a cost might arise, before it does
- We only work with solicitor firms that are currently SRA-regulated
- We never sell your personal details to third parties
- You can complain, or ask us to stop, at any time. See our complaints page
Questions about any of this? Get in touch. We'd rather explain it properly than have you wonder.