Law 793:  Advanced Negotiation Skills and Strategies

Attorneys, no matter their area of practice, are involved in negotiations in one form or another on a daily basis.  Even those who are not involved in negotiating the settlement of a case, the disposition of assets in divorce or the critical terms of a business transaction, regularly engage in negotiations within their organizations, at home, and via interactions with others in their daily lives.

Despite the pervasiveness of negotiation in the legal field, few attorneys have studied the negotiation process, have any systematic understanding of negotiations, appreciate the characteristics of effective negotiators, or can recognize the underlying reasons negotiations tend to succeed or fail, let alone what constitutes success or failure in the context of negotiations.  Similarly, most practitioners are unfamiliar with the extensive research in fields such as cognitive and social psychology, organizational behavior, game theory, decision analysis, and diplomacy, all of which are interrelated with effective negotiation skills and strategies. 

This course will combine theory and practice to improve a student’s understanding of the negotiation process and will attempt to develop self-awareness and understanding of what makes each student an effective (and at times ineffective) negotiator.  The course will emphasize identifying, developing and improving a variety of skills relevant to effective preparation, decision-making, persuasion, communication, and problem-solving.  In addition, the course seeks equip students with the enthusiasm and tools to continue refining these skills in the future.   This course is pass/fail.

Sequence and Prerequisites:  Law 793: Negotiation Skills and Strategies is a prerequisite for this course.

Evaluation: This course will be evaluated through a combination of journal entries, written assignments, in-class exercises, simulated exercises, and class participation & attendance.  This course is pass/fail.

Course Classification: Simulation (experiential)