Negotiation

Negotiation is ubiquitous in everyday life. And, of course, it is also relevant in a million ways to the practice of law. This class will teach negotiation skills mostly through your participation in role-play simulations – some legal, some not. For each case, you will be assigned a role, and will receive background materials, instructions, and usually confidential information to help you (do some or all of): prepare to interview a client, write a memo, decide whether to negotiate, conduct a negotiation, and report the results. CLASS ATTENDANCE IS MANDATORY when there is a NEGOTIATION SIMULATION because your absence will strand other classmates who were assigned to negotiate with you. Most weeks will have one day with a simulation. **IMPORTANT: On 2 or 3 weeks, the Wednesday class will begin early – at 1:00pm – in order to allow enough time for a simulation. (This will be arranged not to interfere with Student Services programming aimed at a large number of students). Class days without simulations will contain other forms of active learning (e.g., demonstrations; you present negotiation strategies; analyze existing real-world negotiations; etc.). The course will: (1) introduce students to negotiation theory, with a focus on the "collaborative" negotiation method used by most successful negotiators today; and (2) teach relevant psychological principles that will help students reflect on their own negotiating skills and understand the likely behavior of others in negotiation settings.