How much does a severance agreement review cost in Los Angeles?

Flat-fee reviews in Los Angeles generally run from $500 to $2,500. At Westwood Law, the review is a $999 flat fee, paid upfront, and includes a 30-minute call with an attorney. During that call, the attorney walks through your agreement, assesses your potential claims, and advises on whether the offer is fair and what to ask for.

Is it worth paying a lawyer to review a small severance package?

Often yes. Even small severance packages come with releases of legal claims that could be worth much more than the offer. An attorney can identify claims you may not know you have. If the package is very small, weigh the review fee against what is on the table, but remember that the release you sign is usually worth more to your employer than the check they are handing you.

How do contingency fees work for severance agreement attorneys?

With a contingency arrangement, the attorney only gets paid if they increase your severance or win a separate legal claim on your behalf. Their fee is a percentage of the amount recovered. Contingency is usually reserved for negotiation or litigation where the attorney has real leverage, such as a strong discrimination or retaliation claim. It is less common for the initial review itself, which most firms handle on a flat fee.

How Much Does a Lawyer Cost to Review a Severance Agreement in Los Angeles?

This is the question that stops most people from calling a lawyer. You just lost your income and the last thing you want is a surprise legal bill. So let's be upfront about what this actually costs.

Severance Agreement Review

Not Sure If Your Severance Is Fair?

Our senior attorneys review severance agreements every day. For a $999 flat fee, an attorney reads your full agreement and walks you through it on a 30-minute call. Paid upfront, no surprises.

Flat fee · Attorney review + 30-minute call · UCLA Law trained

The Short Answer

At Westwood Law, a severance agreement review is a $999 flat fee, paid upfront. That covers an attorney reading your full agreement and a 30-minute call where we walk you through it: whether the offer is fair, what you are releasing, and whether you have claims that create leverage. In the Los Angeles market, flat-fee reviews generally run from about $500 to $2,500, so $999 sits in the middle of that range.

If you want to go beyond the initial review and hire an attorney to negotiate on your behalf, the cost depends on the fee structure and the complexity of your situation.

Common Fee Structures

Flat fee for review. This is the most common structure for a first look at an agreement, and it is the one we use. The attorney reads the agreement, flags the problems, and tells you what it is worth and what to push for. In the Los Angeles area, flat-fee reviews typically range from $500 to $2,500 depending on the complexity of the agreement and the attorney's experience level. Ours is $999 and includes a 30-minute call. A straightforward agreement with no major red flags is on the lower end of the market. A complex executive package with equity provisions, deferred compensation, and multi-state implications is on the higher end.

Contingency for negotiation. Some firms represent you in negotiation on a contingency basis, which means they only get paid if they increase your severance or win a separate legal claim. Their fee is a percentage of what they add to your package. Contingency is more common when you have strong legal claims, because those claims are what give the attorney leverage to work with.

Hourly rate for review and negotiation. Employment attorneys in LA typically charge between $300 and $600 per hour. A review might take two to four hours. Negotiation adds more time, but most severance negotiations are resolved within 10 to 20 hours of attorney time total. Some attorneys cap their fees or provide estimates upfront so you know what to expect.

Hybrid approaches. Some attorneys charge a modest flat fee for the initial review and then switch to contingency if negotiation or litigation is warranted. This balances the attorney's risk with the client's ability to pay.

What You Get for the Money

A thorough severance agreement review isn't just reading the document. Here's what an experienced California employment attorney actually does:

Evaluates the release. Is the release language appropriate? Does it comply with OWBPA requirements if you're over 40? Are there claims being waived that shouldn't be?

Assesses your potential claims. Do you have discrimination, retaliation, or wage claims that are worth more than the severance offer? This assessment is the most valuable part of the review because it determines your leverage.

Identifies problematic provisions. Non-competes that shouldn't be there. Confidentiality clauses that are too broad. Cooperation requirements that could become burdensome. Clawback provisions that could require you to return the money.

Compares the offer to market. Is the severance amount reasonable given your tenure, position, and industry? An attorney who handles severance regularly knows what's typical and what's low.

Advises on strategy. Should you accept, negotiate, or walk away? What's realistic to ask for? How should you approach the counter-offer?

The ROI Question

People hesitate to spend $1,000 on a lawyer when they're not sure it will make a difference. But consider the math.

If an attorney identifies that your offer is below market and you negotiate an additional four weeks of severance on a $100,000 salary, that's roughly $7,700 in additional pay. Minus a $999 review, you net well over $6,000 that you wouldn't have gotten otherwise.

If the attorney discovers you have a strong discrimination claim and negotiates a settlement that's three times the original offer, the return is even more significant.

And if the attorney reviews everything and tells you the offer is fair? You've bought peace of mind and certainty. You'll sign knowing you made an informed decision, not a pressured one.

Why We Charge for the Review

A free call is not a review. It is a sales conversation. A paid review means the attorney actually reads the whole agreement before you talk, and the 30 minutes on the phone are spent on your document, not on figuring out whether you are a client. If the offer is fair and you don't have significant claims, we tell you that and you sign with a clear head. We are not going to manufacture a case to justify a second bill.

A paid review is especially valuable when you're not sure whether you have legal claims. The attorney can evaluate the circumstances of your termination and tell you whether there's something worth pursuing. That answer alone can be worth thousands of dollars.

Get Your Agreement Reviewed

At Westwood Law, we review severance agreements for employees in Los Angeles and throughout Southern California. The fee is $999, paid upfront. You get a full attorney read of your agreement and a 30-minute call with honest advice about whether it is worth pushing back, and how. Call us before you sign.

What Our Clients Say

Real Results for Real People

"I worked with Curt Brown on a separation with my former employer. Curt was able to change the terms and the new outcome greatly benefited my family. Very pleased with the ethics and outcome."