Pay, bonus, commission, and equity
How variable pay is earned, when it is paid, what happens to it if you leave mid-year, and whether the plan documents the contract refers to say the same thing.
Employment Contract Review and Drafting
Know What Your Employment Agreement Says Before You Sign It
Prepared by a licensed U.S. attorney
Most people who search for an employment contract lawyer have a document in hand: an offer letter, an employment agreement with a non-compete, or a severance agreement with a release. A licensed U.S. attorney reviews it and returns a redline with a plain-English memo on what each clause means and what to ask for. Employers get the same agreements drafted for their state. You decide, negotiate, and sign.
The short answer
Have the contract reviewed when it carries a non-compete, an IP assignment, variable pay, or a release. If you are 40 or older and a severance agreement releases age discrimination claims, federal law gives you at least 21 days to consider it (45 in a group program) and 7 days to revoke after signing (29 U.S.C. 626(f)).
OWBPA, DTSA, Speak Out Act, and FTC rule status checked against the official sources
Employment Agreement Attorney
What an Employment Agreement Attorney Does Before You Sign
An employment agreement attorney reads the contract the way a court would if the job ended badly: what you are owed and when, how either side can end it, what you cannot do afterward, what you give up, and where a dispute would be decided. The value of a review is in finding the terms that matter before they are binding, while there is still room to ask for a change.
We do that document work, for employees and for employers. Claims that arise after a job ends, such as discrimination, retaliation, or unpaid wages, belong with an employment litigator. Legal Tank is a drafting service, not a law firm, and does not negotiate with your employer or bring claims for you.
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Employment Contract Review: The Eight Terms We Read First
An offer letter can be one page and still bind you to a non-compete and an arbitration agreement by reference. The review covers the contract and every document it pulls in.
At-will or fixed term, and how it ends
Whether either side can end the job at any time, the notice required, what counts as cause, and any repayment of signing bonuses, relocation, or training costs.
Severance
Whether severance is promised, what triggers it, and what release you will be asked to sign to receive it.
Non-compete and non-solicit
Whether your state enforces them and how far they reach. The FTC's nationwide rule never took effect and the FTC removed it in February 2026, so state law controls.
Confidentiality and trade secrets
Whether the definition is workable, and whether the agreement carries the immunity notice federal law requires in employee confidentiality agreements (18 U.S.C. 1833(b)(3)).
Inventions and IP assignment
What you assign, whether it reaches work done on your own time and equipment, and whether prior inventions are carved out.
Arbitration and jury waiver
Whether disputes go to arbitration, who pays, where it happens, and whether class claims are waived.
Governing law and venue
Which state's law applies and where a dispute would be heard, which can decide whether a non-compete holds.
For how non-competes work state by state, see our guide to non-compete agreements. For confidentiality agreements on their own, see NDA drafting and review.
Severance Agreements
Severance Agreement Review and the Federal 21-Day Rule
A severance agreement trades money for a release of claims. When the employee is 40 or older and the employer has 20 or more employees, the release of age discrimination claims under the ADEA is valid only if it meets the Older Workers Benefit Protection Act's minimum terms (29 U.S.C. 626(f), 631(a), 630(b)).
| The release must | 29 U.S.C. 626(f)(1) |
|---|---|
| Be written so the employee can understand it | (A) |
| Refer specifically to rights or claims under the ADEA | (B) |
| Not waive claims arising after it is signed | (C) |
| Give something beyond what the employee is already owed | (D) |
| Advise the employee in writing to consult an attorney | (E) |
| Allow at least 21 days to consider it, or 45 days in a group exit program | (F) |
| Allow 7 days after signing to revoke, and take effect only after that | (G) |
| In a group program, disclose the eligibility factors and the job titles and ages of those selected and not selected | (H) |
Beyond the federal floor, a severance review looks at what the payment is conditioned on, whether the confidentiality and non-disparagement terms are broader than the law allows, how benefits and equity are treated, and whether the agreement reaffirms restrictive covenants you would rather not keep.
What We Prepare
Employment Contract Review for Employees, Drafting for Employers
Every review and every agreement is prepared by a licensed U.S. attorney. We draft and explain; you decide what to ask for and what to sign.
Employment Contract Review
Your offer letter or employment agreement marked up clause by clause, with a plain-English memo on what each term means for you and which points are worth raising.
Use it whenYou have an offer or contract in hand and a date to sign by.
Severance Agreement Review
The release, the payment terms, the confidentiality and non-disparagement clauses, and, for workers 40 and over, a check against the federal waiver requirements.
Use it whenYou have been offered severance in exchange for a release.
Employment Agreements for Employers
Offer letters, executive and key-employee agreements, confidentiality and invention assignment agreements, and commission plans, drafted for your state.
Use it whenYou are hiring and want your own paper, not a downloaded form.
Severance Agreements for Employers
Separation agreements with releases that meet 29 U.S.C. 626(f) for workers 40 and over, including the group disclosures an exit program requires.
Use it whenYou are separating an employee or running a reduction in force.
01
You send the documents
The offer, the agreement, any plan documents it refers to, and your deadline, through the secure matter portal.
02
We scope it in one business day
A written scope lists the review or drafting, the governing state, and a delivery date set against your deadline.
03
A licensed U.S. attorney prepares it
The redline, memo, or agreement is prepared by a licensed U.S. attorney.
04
You review and we revise
You tell us what matters most to you. We revise the memo or draft until it fits.
05
You decide and sign
You raise the changes with the other side and sign when ready. We do not negotiate for you.
Legal Tank
- Reviews the contract and every document it refers to.
- Writes the redline and a plain-English memo.
- Drafts employment and severance agreements for employers.
You
- Decide which changes to ask for.
- Negotiate with the other side.
- Sign, or take a claim to an employment litigator.
Prefer to start from a form? See the free employment agreement template. Hiring a contractor instead of an employee? See independent contractor agreement drafting.
FAQ
Questions About Having an Employment Contract Reviewed
Do you need a lawyer to review a contract?
No law requires it; you can sign an employment contract after reading it yourself. A review is worth it when the contract carries more than salary and start date: a non-compete or non-solicit, an invention or IP assignment, a bonus, commission, or equity plan, a term with a termination fee, or an arbitration clause. For a severance agreement that releases age discrimination claims, federal law itself requires that you be advised in writing to consult an attorney before signing (29 U.S.C. 626(f)(1)(E)).
What voids an employment contract?
The same things that void any contract: no real agreement on the essential terms, no consideration, fraud or misrepresentation that induced you to sign, duress, a party without capacity, or a purpose or clause the law forbids. More often a single clause fails rather than the whole contract: a non-compete your state does not enforce, a confidentiality clause that tries to silence a sexual harassment claim (unenforceable in that dispute under 42 U.S.C. 19403), or a release of age claims that does not meet the federal waiver requirements in 29 U.S.C. 626(f).
What does an employment attorney help with?
Two different jobs. Before signing, an employment attorney reviews or drafts the documents: offer letters, employment agreements, restrictive covenants, and severance agreements. After something has gone wrong, an employment litigator handles claims such as discrimination, retaliation, or unpaid wages. We do the first job; a claim needs a litigator.
Should I tell HR I'm getting a lawyer?
Nothing requires you to. A contract review is private: you send us the document, we send the redline and memo back to you, and you decide what to raise with the employer. Many people simply ask for the changes in their own words. For a severance agreement that releases age discrimination claims, the employer is required to advise you in writing to consult an attorney, so asking for time to do so is expected (29 U.S.C. 626(f)(1)(E), (F)).
How much does it cost to hire a contract lawyer?
For a review, the fee turns on the length of the contract and how much of it departs from standard terms; for drafting, on how many documents and how custom they are. We quote a fixed fee after reading what you send, and the quote is free. If your employer has given you a signing deadline, tell us; the scope and delivery date are set against it.
This page explains employment contract terms and some federal rules, and what we review and draft. It is not legal advice about your situation, and Legal Tank does not represent employees or employers in claims.
Ready When You Are
Read the Fine Print While You Can Still Change It
Send the contract and your signing deadline. We return a scope and a delivery date in one business day.
Quotes return same business day on intakes received before 5 PM ET
Prefer email? Contact us.