As a lawyer, you will probably negotiate more than you do anything else. You will negotiate not just over cases, but any time that you need something that you cannot get alone. You will negotiate with your boss, your clients, your secretary, and all of their counterparts (plus the lawyers) on the other side. You will negotiate with "the system" whether it is the court, the government, the structure of society, or the law. You will also continue to negotiate with your family, your friends, and yourself.
This course is designed to: (1) develop your understanding of negotiation, and your awareness of yourself as a negotiator; (2) give you some tools and concepts for analyzing and preparing for negotiations; (3) enhance your negotiating skills through frequent role plays, reflection, and feedback; and (4) teach you how to keep learning from your own negotiation experience. In addition to negotiation skills and theory, students are introduced to issues of representation, ethics, and the place of negotiation in our legal system.
Negotiation is an intense, interactive course. It meets for approximately five hours each week, and requires weekly preparation of readings, simulations, and written assignments. Basically, you learn by reading about specific research and doing simulated negotiations - figuring out with the rest of the class what works and what does not, writing about what you're learning, and trying again. Because participation in the simulations is central to the course, attendance at all classes is required. You should not consider taking Negotiation if you cannot commit to full participation.