Columbus Severance Agreement Lawyers

Last updated on December 23, 2025

Receiving a severance agreement means you are facing a major transition, and the documents your employer provides are full of legal details that favor the company. You need a trusted legal partner to review the terms and protect your financial future.

At Marshall Forman & Schlein LLC, our labor and employment lawyers exclusively represent Ohio employees. If you have been offered a severance agreement, it is important that you do not accept it until a Columbus employment lawyer has reviewed it. We can help you protect your rights and look out for your best interests.

Understanding At-Will Employment in Ohio

Ohio is an at-will employment state, which means that most employees in Ohio do not work under an employment contract. People are free to accept or leave employment as they wish. Likewise, employers can fire employees for any reason, or for no reason at all. As long as the termination does not violate other employment laws, it is not a wrongful termination.

As a result, most employees who are terminated do not receive a severance package, and it is not required under Ohio law. However, employers offer severance pay when an employee is terminated or affected by a reduction in force (RIF). Before signing a severance or separation agreement, which is a binding contract, it is important to understand your legal rights.

What Are the Different Types of Severance Agreements?

There are two types of severance agreements. The first kind is an employment agreement that is negotiated before or during an employee’s employment with a company. The second is offered to an employee at the end of their employment.

• Prenegotiated severance: These agreements provide for payments to executive employees in the event of later voluntary or involuntary termination of employment. They make a new job more attractive because they mitigate the risk that an employee is undertaking by changing employment.
• End of employment severance: Some employers offer their workers severance pay in the event of a job loss or mass layoff. If this is the case, the severance amount is often computed by a formula based on the length of the employee’s service.

In both instances, in exchange for severance payments, you will almost certainly need to sign a release of all claims that you may have against your former employer. If this happens, you should consult with an attorney to understand the value of any claims you might have. You can then determine if the amount of the severance offer is large enough for you to decide to release your claims.

What Benefits Can an Employee Receive As Part of a Severance Package?

Severance agreements state how much financial compensation a person will receive at the termination of their employment. However, severance agreements can also be used to establish what benefits an employee will receive after leaving the company. These benefits can include:

• Health insurance
• Entitlement to accrued and vested pension benefits, stock options or restricted shares
• The right to take legal action to enforce the severance agreement
• Indemnification against third-party legal claims
• How references will be handled
• Information provided to other employees

Severance agreements, especially for executives, should also contain provisions providing for an employee’s beneficiaries. This means that in the event that an executive passes away before receiving severance payments, his or her designated beneficiary will receive the funds, usually in a lump sum.

Common Provisions in Severance Agreements

When employees are offered a severance agreement, they often don’t have any idea what to expect. Common provisions included within severance agreements include:

• Release of potential claims: Most people who agree to the terms within a severance package waive their right to sue the employer, not only for the termination but for any dispute arising out of their employment relationship.
• Confidentiality clauses: The terms within a severance agreement are almost always confidential. This means the employee who has the agreement is not allowed to discuss the terms or the amount offered within it with anyone except a spouse, tax adviser or attorney. Sometimes, an employee is not permitted to acknowledge that a severance agreement even exists.
• Non-disparagement clauses: Employers do not want employees to leave and start bad-mouthing the company. As such, many severance agreements include non-disparagement clauses which prevent employees from saying negative things about the employer or its management team, posting unfavorable comments on social media and going to the media regarding their prior employer.
• Noncompete clauses: Noncompete clauses prevent an employee from working for a competitor for a specific period of time and sometimes within a certain geographic area. This may protect the employer but can sometimes be unfair to employees who need to earn a living.
• Ineligible for re-hire clauses: Sometimes, employees leave but may want to work for the company in the future. A clause indicating that the employee is not eligible for re-hire will prevent this.

Although some of these clauses may seem unfair, they are not necessarily illegal. Employees should know what employers can and cannot include in severance agreements so they understand their rights.

Limitations on Severance Agreements

It is essential that employees understand what employers should not include in severance agreements. For example, employers are not allowed to ask employees to forfeit their right to any vested pension benefits protected by law. If employees have a legal right to these benefits, they must receive them in accordance with provisions in the pension plan.

In addition, employers cannot ask employees to waive their right to file a discrimination complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or the Ohio Civil Rights Commission. Employers can, however, require that employees waive the right to receive financial compensation if they file a complaint.

How Can a Columbus Severance Attorney Help with Your Case?

If you are reviewing a severance agreement, we know that this is a stressful time in your life. Our experienced labor and employment law attorneys are uniquely qualified to help you get through this tough time.

• Severance agreement review: We examine every clause with you. We want to ensure you fully understand what rights you are giving up and what benefits you are receiving.
• Legal guidance on your eligibility for unemployment: We help you understand how signing the agreement may affect your ability to collect unemployment benefits.
• Negotiation of terms: Often, we can successfully negotiate for more money, extended benefits or less restrictive noncompete clauses.
• Detection of potential underlying discrimination claims: We look for signs that your termination was retaliatory or discriminatory before you sign away your right to sue.
• Protection of your long-term professional reputation: We can negotiate the wording of your job reference and the terms of confidentiality to safeguard your future career.

Our firm’s lawyers bring decades of combined experience to the table to ensure you receive a fair and equitable separation. We listen to your story and use our knowledge to make a difference in your financial well-being.

Speak with an Ohio Severance Attorney Today

Severance agreements are extremely time-sensitive. To speak with an experienced Columbus severance attorney at Marshall Forman & Schlein LLC, call us at 614-762-9727. You can also send us a message through our website. We look forward to answering your questions. We want to protect your rights and financial interests.