Senior exits: leave on your terms
A senior exit is the negotiated departure of an executive or senior professional, covering the financial package, equity and bonus treatment, references, announcements and restrictive covenants.
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At a certain level, leaving a business stops being an HR process and becomes a commercial negotiation. The number matters, but so does everything around it: how the departure is announced, what the reference says, what happens to unvested awards, and what you are free to do next.
Our panel includes solicitors who act for senior professionals and executives on exactly these negotiations. Discreet, commercially minded, and used to dealing with employers' external counsel as equals.
Situations we regularly place
- You want to initiate an exit and need the approach, timing and opening position planned before anything is said
- The business has signalled a change: a restructure, a new leadership team, a role quietly diminished
- An exit package is on the table and the equity, bonus and covenant terms need expert scrutiny
- A boardroom or partnership dispute needs resolving without publicity
Not sure where you stand?
Two minutes of questions, and a specialist tells you what your options actually are.
⏱ Get advice before you sign anythingOnce an agreement is signed, your claims are usually settled for good, and tribunal claims must normally start within 3 months less one day of the event. Advice taken early keeps every option open.
What a well-run exit protects
Why representation matters at this level
Senior packages are documents within documents: service agreements, share plan rules, bonus schemes, partnership deeds. What you are actually owed as a leaver depends on how these interact, and the leaver provisions are frequently more negotiable than they appear.
Your employer will take advice before the first conversation. Matching that early keeps the negotiation balanced, and it signals that the discussion will be conducted seriously and professionally.
Discretion is the discipline throughout. These negotiations are conducted quietly, usually while you remain in role, and are structured so that if no agreement is reached, nothing has been conceded and nothing has leaked.
Planning a move, or sensing one coming?
A confidential conversation with the right specialist costs nothing and commits you to nothing. We will make one discreet, well-matched introduction.
Senior exit FAQs
My employer does not know I want to leave. Can I still get advice?
Yes, and that is the ideal time. A specialist can help you plan the approach, the timing and the opening position before anything is said internally.
How is a senior exit different from a settlement agreement?
The agreement is the final document. A senior exit is the negotiation that shapes it: bonus and equity treatment, restrictive covenants, references, announcements and timing, often over weeks of discreet discussion.
Will negotiating damage my relationship with the business?
Handled well, no. At senior level both sides usually want a clean, professional parting. Good advisers negotiate firmly on substance while keeping the tone constructive.
What about my equity, LTIPs and deferred bonus?
Leaver provisions are where senior exits are won and lost. Whether you are treated as a good leaver, and what happens to unvested awards, is often negotiable and can outweigh the headline payment.
How confidential is your service?
Completely. Your enquiry is shared only with the single panel firm we match you with, and nothing is ever communicated to your employer by us.
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