Settlement agreements, mutual releases, consent judgments, mediation agreements. I identify hidden releases, overbroad confidentiality clauses, tax traps, and terms that give away more than you intended.
Not sure? Email me the settlement agreement and I will recommend the right tier.
Rush available: +$150 for 24-48 hour turnaround on any tier.
These are anonymized examples from recent client work. Every review is done by me personally, not by AI and not by a paralegal.
Employer offered $30K settlement with blanket release. Found it waived pending EEOC claims. Negotiated carve-out and increased payment to $47K.
Settlement for $15K in unpaid invoices included perpetual non-disparagement. Narrowed non-disparagement to mutual and time-limited. Added attorney fees provision.
Landlord offered $2K on $4.2K deposit. Flagged that release waived right to statutory penalties under CC §1950.5. Got full deposit plus $1,500 penalties.
50/50 partnership dissolution. Found IP assignment clause buried in release that transferred client trademarks to departing partner. Removed it, saved $200K+ in IP value.
Every settlement is different, but these are the areas where I consistently find risk that clients did not expect.
Email the agreement as PDF, Word, or even a photo. Tell me your concerns and what you are trying to accomplish.
I reply with the recommended tier, the flat fee, and the turnaround time. No work starts until you approve.
You get a marked-up copy with risks highlighted, release scope analysis, tax implications flagged, and a plain-English explanation of what you are agreeing to.
I explain what to push back on and how. If you need the clauses rewritten, I handle that in the Review + Revision tier.
Send me the settlement agreement. I will confirm the right tier, the fee, and what I need from you.
Send Me Your Settlement Agreement →700+ reviews on Upwork
"I was about to sign a settlement agreement that looked fine on the surface. Sergei found a clause that would have waived my pending workers' comp claim. He negotiated a carve-out and got the payment increased. Worth every penny."
"Sergei reviewed our partnership dissolution settlement and caught a buried IP assignment clause that would have transferred our trademarks to my ex-partner. He drafted replacement language and saved us over $200K in IP value. Highly recommend."
"Needed a fast review of a settlement offer from my landlord. Sergei identified that the release waived my statutory penalty rights under California law. I pushed back and got $1,500 more. 48-hour turnaround, clear advice."
Quick Scan ($149): I identify the top 5 risk flags and give you a go/no-go recommendation within 24-48 hours. Full Review ($349): I review every clause, analyze the scope of the release, flag tax implications, review confidentiality terms, and explain what to negotiate. Review + Revision ($599+): I do the full review and draft redlined replacement language with counter-proposal support.
Quick Scan: 24-48 hours. Full Review: 2-3 business days. Review + Revision: 3-5 business days. Rush turnaround (24-48 hours) is available for any tier for an additional $150. If I need more time for a complex agreement, I will tell you before starting.
I review employment dispute settlements, contractor payment disputes, landlord-tenant settlements, business dissolution agreements, partnership buyouts, personal injury settlements, and most civil settlement agreements and mutual releases. If you have a settlement agreement, I can likely review it.
Yes. The Full Review tier includes negotiation guidance explaining which points are worth pushing on. The Review + Revision tier includes attorney-drafted redlines with replacement language and counter-proposal support. I identify which terms are negotiable and provide specific language you can send back to the other side.
The most common issues I find are overbroad release language waiving claims the client did not know they had, confidentiality clauses that restrict too much, tax traps where settlement payments are structured incorrectly (1099 vs W-2), and payment terms that favor the other side. I also frequently find non-disparagement clauses that are one-sided or perpetual.
No. You should send me the settlement agreement BEFORE signing. Once you sign, it is too late to negotiate better terms. I review the agreement, identify problematic clauses, and help you negotiate changes before you commit. The whole point is to catch issues before you are bound.