Speak with an employee-side employment law team before you respond.
A severance package can affect your income, benefits, legal rights, and future employment. Before you sign a release or respond to your employer, it is important to understand what has been offered, what may be missing, and whether negotiation may be appropriate.
Collins & Metcalfe LLP advises Ontario employees on severance package reviews, termination offers, releases, and wrongful dismissal concerns.
We represent employees, not employers.
Losing a job is often stressful, and a severance package can make the next steps feel urgent. You may be worried about income, benefits, references, future employment, or whether pushing back will make things worse.
Before you sign a release or accept a termination offer, it is worth understanding what the package actually does. Some offers deal only with minimum entitlements. Others may overlook benefits, bonus, commission, pension, equity, or other important terms.
Collins & Metcalfe LLP can help you review the offer in context and identify practical next steps. Sometimes that means accepting the offer. Sometimes it means asking questions or negotiating. The right answer depends on the facts.
If your employment has ended and your employer has given you documents to review or sign, this page is intended to help you take the next step carefully.
You may be in the right place if you are asking:
The purpose of the consultation is to help you understand the package, identify practical issues, and decide what next step makes sense.
We represent employees, not employers.
If you book a consultation, please send the documents your employer gave you about the end of your employment. This usually includes the termination letter, severance package, release, and any deadline to respond.
It is also helpful to provide your employment contract, recent pay information, and any documents about benefits, bonus, commission, pension, equity, or other compensation.
If there are emails, texts, or notes that help explain what happened, include those as well.
Do not delay booking because you are missing something. If the deadline is approaching, book the consultation and send what you have.
After you book, we will ask you to complete a short intake form and send the documents your employer gave you. This helps us understand what happened, what you were offered, and any deadline you are facing.
The consultation is meant to identify the main issues and the practical next step. Sometimes that may be accepting the offer. Sometimes it may be asking questions, getting a fuller review, or considering negotiation.
You do not need to know the legal answer before booking. The purpose is to help you understand where you stand and what makes sense next.
A full document review may require a separate paid retainer.
Our role is to help you understand the package in context — and to identify whether anything important has been missed.
That may include looking at your length of service, position, compensation, contract, benefits, bonus or commission structure, release language, deadlines, and the circumstances of your termination.
You should not assume that the first offer is the only option, or that a short deadline means you have to sign without advice. Sometimes the right advice is to accept the offer. Sometimes it is to ask questions, seek a fuller review, or consider negotiation.
We will help you understand the options, risks, and practical next steps before you make a decision that may affect your income, benefits, legal rights, and future employment.
A severance package often arrives at a moment when employees are under pressure to make quick decisions. Collins & Metcalfe LLP helps employees slow that process down, understand what is being offered, and identify whether anything important has been missed.
Our Employment Law Group represents employees across Ontario in severance, termination, release, wrongful dismissal, and workplace-rights matters. We provide practical advice focused on options, risks, and next steps — not conflict for its own sake.
Do I need a lawyer to review my severance package?
You do not have to obtain legal advice, but it is often sensible to do so before signing a release or accepting a termination offer. A consultation can help you understand whether a fuller review is appropriate.
What should I be looking for in the package?
The amount offered is only one part of the package. Benefits, bonus, commission, pension, equity, deadlines, confidentiality, reference language, and release terms may also matter.
What if I am under pressure to sign quickly?
Many employees are given short deadlines. A deadline should be taken seriously, but it does not mean you need to make the decision without understanding your options.
Will you always recommend negotiation?
No. Sometimes the practical advice is to accept the offer. Sometimes it is to ask questions, seek a fuller review, or consider negotiation. The answer depends on the facts.
Can you help if I am outside Toronto?
Yes. We advise employees across Ontario. Consultations are available remotely.
A severance package can affect more than your final pay. Before you accept an offer, sign a release, or respond to a deadline, get advice about what you may be giving up and whether anything important has been missed.