Kathleen Cahill Law
N/a
© Kathleen Cahill Law. 2026 | All rights reserved.
(410) 321-6171
Some employment separations come with the offer of a severance agreement, and on the whole, that’s a good sign. Sometimes the employer takes the initiative, proposing severance to serve its own business and legal interests. Other times it is the employee who generates that opportunity. Either way, it’s essential to bring in an experienced Maryland severance agreement lawyer for strategic advice and to negotiate a severance agreement that’s strong and binding. I focus exclusively on protecting your side of the bargain— not the employer’s.
A severance agreement is a contract between you and your former employer that’s meant to wrap up every aspect of your employment and your exit. Once you sign it, it’s binding, enforceable, and permanent — so it needs to be comprehensive, fair, and accurate before you put your name on it. A typical agreement covers your final pay and the end or continuation of your benefits; your rights and your employer’s rights going forward; your ability, or inability, to bring future claims; the terms and timing of your actual severance payment; whether restrictive covenants continue or end; how confidential information you learned on the job gets treated; and what happens to any equity or other financial assets tied to your employment. Given how much rides on those terms, it’s worth having a Maryland severance agreement lawyer in your corner from the start.
Whether to sign is ultimately your call. But a fair severance agreement can bring real benefit — financially and otherwise — including closure, clarity, and certainty as you move forward. The key is having an experienced Maryland severance attorney assess the agreement with you, so you know it’s a genuine gain rather than a hidden loss or risk. Good legal advice also makes sure you can actually enforce the favorable terms you secure in the event your former employer balks or backtracks later, and that you are not agreeing to terms that come back to haunt you down the road. Every situation is different — a severance agreement that makes sense for a warehouse supervisor may look nothing like one built for a hospital administrator or a financial services executive — so a one-size-fits-all review isn’t good enough.
As an experienced Maryland severance agreement lawyer, I help employees review, negotiate, and lock in severance agreements that actually work for them. My job is to build a comprehensive exit strategy with you and explore every option to ensure that your career transition brings limited disruption — or better yet, turns into a genuine win. A severance agreement is a technical document drafted by the employer’s lawyers, for the employer’s benefit. Skipping a proper severance agreement review by your own lawyer does you a disservice; I’ll explain every term and work with you to make the agreement thorough and fair. These offers usually come with a tight deadline, so finding a qualified Maryland severance attorney and getting started right away matters.
The most important phase of any severance situation is the negotiation. Learning how to negotiate severance agreements Maryland employers put on the table starts with understanding that the initial offer is built to serve the employer’s interests first. It usually includes some upside for you, but employees can and should push for balanced terms that actually reflect their individual needs and circumstances. At Kathleen Cahill Law, I help you evaluate your options and chart the course that gets you there. As your severance negotiation attorney, I know that every client’s situation is different, and I work closely and tenaciously to keep your interests at the center of the negotiation.
A severance agreement handles the administrative basics — your final pay and the end of your benefits — and should spell out your COBRA rights to continue health coverage after you leave. It should also address your rights and your employer’s rights going forward, including your ability, or inability, to bring claims later. But in a period of transition and uncertainty, the terms that matter most are usually the severance compensation itself — additional pay, beyond what you already earned, meant to bridge the gap until your next opportunity. A severance agreement also covers the status of any equity or other financial benefits tied to your job, like your 401(k), stock options, or shares.
A severance agreement can also include terms on confidentiality, non-disparagement, and restrictive covenants. It’s critical to understand exactly how you are to maintain confidential information and whether the employer is trying to impose or enforce a non-compete. Every severance agreement will also require you to release or waive a wide range of future claims. That release section is usually the most daunting part, and for good reason: a severance agreement attorney Maryland employees trust won’t let you sign a release you don’t fully understand. I’ll walk you through the language so you know exactly what you’re giving up in exchange for what the employer is offering, and whether that’s a fair deal. Once you sign, with few exceptions, a release waives many of your rights permanently. So let me help you be in the know before you sign.
A severance offer is always time-sensitive, so it’s essential to move quickly and get advice. Employees 40 and older are generally entitled to 21, or sometimes 45, days to review the agreement and consult a lawyer before signing; younger workers have no such protection, and employers can set a far shorter deadline. In every case, you benefit from quickly figuring out your deadline and getting a professional involved right away. With that head start, there’s time to actually understand a highly technical document — and, in many cases, some cushion to negotiate and refine the terms before you sign. Waiting until the last few days rarely works in your favor: it leaves little room to gather documentation, compare your offer to what similarly situated employees have received, or push back on disadvantageous terms. As the severance package lawyer Maryland employees turn to for fast answers, I’m available for rapid-response work when the clock is running.
Whether you’ve been handed a severance agreement as you transition out of your current job, or you are the one looking to initiate negotiations and draw a severance offer from your employer, I can help you get it done right. I’m the severance lawyer Maryland employees turn to for tenacious, strategic advocacy, and I bring that same approach to my work as an employment attorney for clients across the region. Together, we’ll analyze every consideration and build a negotiating strategy that optimizes your outcome. Let’s start that conversation today, so you walk away with an exit strategy and a severance agreement that puts your interests first. Contact me to get started, and let’s make sure your exit reflects everything you’ve earned.
Kathleen Cahill Law
N/a