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Settlement Agreement and Release Drafter
Share the terms you have agreed and get a settlement agreement and release that ends the dispute, with payment, release and dismissal written to hold.
River turns settlement terms you have already agreed into a written settlement agreement and release. It sets out the payment, its timing and what happens if a payment is missed, who releases what, whether a lawsuit gets dismissed, and the confidentiality, non-disparagement and no-admission terms you agreed. Anything the agreed terms leave open is written in a sensible form and marked for both sides to confirm, so the document records the deal you made rather than inventing a new one.
A release is only as good as its wording, and the expensive mistakes are specific. Release too narrowly and the dispute comes back as a different claim. Release broadly in California and the rule protecting unknown claims still applies unless it is expressly waived. Settle an age discrimination claim without the 21 days to consider and 7 days to revoke federal law requires, and that waiver does not hold. River writes these in and flags what needs a lawyer.
This is for business owners and managers closing out a dispute with a customer, supplier, tenant or former employee, and for lawyers who want a first draft from the agreed terms. Use it once the number is agreed and before anyone pays. If you are still negotiating, the demand letter response tool covers that stage, and the settlement and mediation brief template prepares a mediation. For the breach that started it, see the breach of contract notice template.
What makes a settlement actually end the dispute
Most settlement fights are about the money after signing. Write the amount, the due dates, how it is paid and to whom, and what happens on a missed payment: a short cure period, then the right to enforce the agreement for the unpaid balance. Where a lawsuit is pending, decide whether it is dismissed now or after the last payment. In federal court, the judge can enforce the deal later only if the dismissal keeps that power or includes the settlement terms.
The release decides what is over. A mutual release ends claims in both directions, while a one-way release protects only the side that pays. Describe the dispute, then release it broadly enough to cover related claims under any legal theory up to the signing date. Some claims cannot be released by a private agreement alone. Federal minimum wage and overtime claims, for example, generally need a court or the Department of Labor to approve the settlement. River flags those rather than drafting around them.
Confidentiality is allowed in most settlements, with limits. Federal law already makes nondisclosure clauses agreed before a sexual harassment or assault dispute unenforceable, and a harassment settlement kept confidential loses the payer's tax deduction for the payment. Payments to a former employee may be wages that need withholding, and payments for physical injuries are taxed differently from other damages. River states how each payment is described and marks it for an accountant to confirm.
How it works
Share the agreed terms
The payment, who is releasing what, and any emails or letters where the deal was agreed.
River drafts the agreement
A settlement agreement and release, written from the terms in a form both sides can sign.
Review the flags
A short list of choices made for you, items to confirm, and questions for a lawyer.
Finish in chat
Ask for the dismissal paperwork, a payment schedule, or a cover email to the other side.
What you get
- Payment amount, schedule, method and missed-payment terms written so collecting is straightforward
- A release scoped to the dispute, mutual or one-way, covering related claims up to signing
- California's unknown-claims waiver included when California law or a California party is involved
- Age discrimination review and revocation periods built in when a worker aged 40 or over signs
- Dismissal terms for a pending case, with the court keeping the power to enforce the deal
- Claims that cannot be privately released, and tax questions, flagged instead of drafted around
Common questions
Do I need a lawyer for a settlement agreement?
For a modest business dispute between two companies, many people sign a clear agreement without one. Get a lawyer when a lawsuit is pending, when the other side has one, when an employee or a personal injury is involved, or when the amount matters to your business. A release gives up rights permanently, and mistakes are hard to undo.
Should the release be mutual?
Usually, yes. A mutual release ends the dispute in both directions, so neither side can later bring a related claim. A one-way release suits a straightforward payment for a claim only one side has. If the side receiving money insists on a one-way release, the paying side should ask what claims it is being left exposed to.
Can we keep the settlement confidential?
In most disputes, yes, with exceptions written in: disclosures to lawyers, accountants and tax authorities, disclosures required by law, and reports to government agencies. Employment settlements need extra care, because federal and many state laws limit what an employee can be barred from saying, and confidentiality in a harassment settlement affects the payer's tax deduction.
What happens if they don't pay?
That depends on the agreement, which is why River writes it out: a notice and a short time to pay, then the right to enforce the agreement for the unpaid balance, often with attorney fees. If a lawsuit is pending, keeping the court's power to enforce the settlement makes collecting much faster than starting a new case.
We're settling with a former employee. Anything different?
Yes, several things. Releasing age discrimination claims from a worker aged 40 or over requires 21 days to consider and 7 days to revoke. Some wage claims need approval to be released. Payments may be wages needing withholding, and some rights, such as filing a charge with a government agency, cannot be waived. Have an employment lawyer review it.
Is this legal advice?
No. River drafts the agreement from the terms you agreed, explains its choices and flags the issues it sees, but it does not give legal advice, decide what your claims are worth, or promise how a court would read the release. Have a lawyer review any settlement involving a pending case, an employee or a personal injury.
Sources
- California Legislative InformationCodes displaySection.xhtml (opens in a new tab)
- Cornell Law School29 U.S. Code § 626 — Recordkeeping, investigation, and enforcement (opens in a new tab)
- Cornell Law SchoolKokkonen v. Guardian Life Ins., 511 U.S. 375 (1994) (opens in a new tab)
- GovInfoPublic Law 117-224 (opens in a new tab)
- Cornell Law School26 U.S. Code § 162 — Trade or business expenses (opens in a new tab)
Built by
Chandler Supple
Co-founder & CEO, River
Chandler has spent the last six years working in AI, building tools for millions of users and Fortune 100 companies. In 2025, he co-founded River to build a new kind of operating system for AI agents.
Settlement Agreement and Release Drafter
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