Negotiating Like a Lawyer

Overview

Negotiation plays a vital role in every day's economic, commercial, and legal life. It is a skill required in various realms, and in fact, in some cases it can be the difference between life and death, such as when a kidnapper holds a hostage at gunpoint, and then the police sends a skilled negotiator. In other cases, it can make huge financial differences over business transactions, or remarkable differences in contractual parties' legal positions, and more. Examples from real life where negotiation comes handy are almost infinite.

Lawyers, being the representatives of their clients on transactions, are obviously supposed to possess exceptionally high negotiation skills. It must be mentioned that no matter what skills a lawyer has learned, personal differences and talents still play a role. Yet, this role can be diminished to the minimal by learning and applying the methodical rules of negotiation.

Practical Guidance

Negotiation basics

Let's start with the basic requirements any lawyer should meet while getting into the negotiation process.