About OntslagLegal

OntslagLegal helps employees with dismissal and settlement agreements. We offer a free review of your settlement agreement (vaststellingsovereenkomst, or VSO) by experienced lawyers, with a response on working days within 1 hour. Our mission: to ensure you do not sign for less than you are entitled to.

Our mission

Every year, hundreds of thousands of employees in the Netherlands receive a settlement agreement. Many employees sign this agreement without seeking legal advice, often under time pressure or out of ignorance of their rights. The result: employees accept a lower severance payment than they are entitled to, or sign a settlement agreement that jeopardises their unemployment benefits.

OntslagLegal was founded to change this. We believe that every employee should have access to expert legal advice in case of dismissal, regardless of their financial situation. That is why we offer a free review of your settlement agreement.

What we do

Free settlement agreement review

Our core activity is the free review of settlement agreements. You upload your settlement agreement through our secure environment and receive a substantive assessment from an experienced lawyer on working days within 1 hour.

What do we review?

Our lawyers assess your settlement agreement on all essential points:

• Severance pay — is the offered compensation fair? How does it compare to the statutory transitievergoeding?
• End date and notice period — is the end date correctly calculated? Are the fictitious notice period and the start date of your unemployment benefits correct?
• Unemployment benefits — does the settlement agreement protect your right to unemployment benefits (WW)? Is the initiative for the dismissal correctly formulated?
• Non-compete clause — are you bound by a non-compete or non-solicitation clause? Are you released from it?
• Final discharge — what exactly does the final discharge clause cover? Are there any outstanding claims you would forfeit?
• Release from duties — are you released from duties? If so, with retention of all employment conditions?
• Reference letter — has a positive reference letter been agreed upon?
• Legal costs — is a contribution to your legal costs included?
• Cooling-off period — is the statutory 14-day cooling-off period mentioned?

Advice and guidance

After the review, you receive a clear overview of the strengths and weaknesses of your settlement agreement. We provide concrete recommendations on which points can be improved and advise on the negotiation strategy.

Why OntslagLegal?

Fast

Time is critical in case of dismissal. The cooling-off period for a settlement agreement is only 14 days. That is why we guarantee a response on working days within 1 hour. You do not have to wait days or weeks for legal advice.

Free

The review of your settlement agreement is completely free. There are no hidden costs, no obligations, and no subscriptions. We believe that access to legal advice in case of dismissal should not be a luxury.

Expert

Your settlement agreement is reviewed by experienced lawyers who specialise in employment law. They know the pitfalls, understand what market-standard compensation looks like, and assess whether your rights are adequately protected.

Independent

We work exclusively for employees. We are not paid by employers and have no interest in any particular outcome. Our advice is always in your interest.

Confidential

Your data is treated confidentially and is not shared with third parties. Uploaded documents are stored securely and are only accessible to the reviewing lawyer.

Our process

The process is simple and fast:

1. Upload your settlement agreement — go to our upload page and upload your settlement agreement. You can also send additional documents (employment contract, pay slip).
2. Review by a lawyer — an experienced lawyer reviews your settlement agreement and assesses all clauses for legal accuracy and completeness.
3. You receive our advice — on working days within 1 hour you receive a clear and concrete assessment by email, including recommendations for improvement.
4. Next steps — based on our advice, you can conduct the negotiation yourself or ask us for further guidance.

Our knowledge base

In addition to the free settlement agreement review, we offer an extensive knowledge base about employment law and dismissal. Our articles are written by lawyers and cover topics including:

• Settlement agreement — everything about the settlement agreement, from checklist to negotiation
• Severance pay — calculation, amount, and eligibility
• Collective agreement — how a CAO affects your rights and dismissal

All articles are freely accessible and are regularly updated with the latest legal developments.