International Negotiation Skills for Lawyers

Course overview

Why you should attend this Spring School

In the current economic climate the successful negotiation of a business contract is critical. Many deals are lost through poor negotiation skills and no business can afford to make mistakes in any commercial agreement.

This highly practical workshop has helped numerous lawyers and legal executives to develop sharp and intuitive negotiation skills in two intensive days. The programme includes negotiation and contract specific case studies, workshops, and direct experience in various international negotiation situations.

What are the objectives of this seminar?

By attending this seminar you will:
1 GAIN the knowledge and tools to conduct effective commercial negotiations
2 DEVELOP key tactics for international negotiations to facilitate cross-border deals
3 LEARN the techniques of persuasion to get the results you need
4 FIND out how to recognise and deal with the tactics and ploys of the other side
5 INCREASE your direct negotiation experience in a ‘safe’ environment by participating in various interactive workshops
6 APPROACH negotiations strategically and with confidence to ensure a win-win outcome

Interactive workshops sessions

Targeted for lawyers and other legal professionals who deal with national and international negotiations, this workshop combines the hard and fast rules of negotiation with interactive and practical exercises. Throughout the programme there will be workshop sessions. These sessions will include a blend of exercises, case studies and active participation in contract negotiation based on real-life scenarios. Each session will progressively build on each stage of the course to enable participants to practice and apply the skills developed under the guidance of our expert trainer and receive constructive feedback on their participation.

Who should attend this programme?

In-house lawyers
Private practice lawyers
Legal professionals or executives managing and negotiating commercial agreements

Programme - Day 1

Introduction

Essentials of negotiations

Effective negotiators
Negotiation models
Objectives
Strategies
Frameworks
Perceptions

WORKSHOP AND SIMULATION 1 – Commercial and legal negotiations
This workshop is designed to highlight the main issues that can arise in commercial and legal negotiations and the best methods to be able to successfully address them

Preparing for negotiations – Setting objectives and selecting strategy

Preparation questions
BATNA/ZOPA/Target
Power, interests and positions
Selecting a strategy
Creating value
Preparation in a hurry

Negotiating across international and organisational cultures

Mapping international cultures
Reconciling differences
High and low context
Types of collaborations
Mapping organisational cultures
Trust

WORKSHOP AND SIMULATION 2 – International negotiations
Delegates will learn how to address, recognise, reconcile but not avoid different cultural approaches to negotiations within a legal and commercial context

Negotiating in teams

Roles
Unity
Charter

End of day one

Programme - Day 2

Negotiating styles

Recognising your style
Identifying styles
Adapting styles

WORKSHOP AND SIMULATION 3 – Negotiating in styles appropriate to your objectives in legal negotiations
An interactive workshop designed to teach delegates how to recognise and apply the correct negotiation style strategically for specific situations

Communication skills

Effective listening
Effective telling
Body language
Silence
Telephone and Internet

Offers

Offers
Counter offers
Strategic anchors

Situation tactics or ploys and counter-ploys

Creating the right atmosphere
Seating
Threats/insults
Interruptions
Emotional appeals
Making and reinforcing a final offer
Encouraging closure

WORKSHOP AND SIMULATION 4 – Final commercial and legal negotiations including acting negotiating on behalf of others
Delegates will participate in a role-play that brings together the new techniques, frameworks and skills introduced throughout the seminar with feedback from the facilitator

The expert presenter

Arun Singh OBE is an international lawyer at Grundberg Mocatta and Rakison LLP. He was formerly a partner and Head of Commercial Law at KPMG Legal. Arun is cited and ranked in Chambers Guide of the World’s Leading Lawyers. He concentrates on international investment, joint ventures, licensing of technology, research and development, M&A, energy, outsourcing and corporate governance in developed and emerging markets (including Asia and the Middle East), and also handles international legal risk management matters. He advises a range of international organisations and is a senior associate of Oxford University Institute of Legal Practice. He teaches international negotiations and leadership at Cambridge University and both teaches and trains as a member of the joint Duke University London School of Economics Corporate Education Network. He was appointed an OBE in January 1999 for services to international trade and investment and was a non-executive director of the Board of the UK Trade and Invest Office and of Cultural Dynamics.
He is a non-executive director of a company listed on the London stock exchange and on its audit and investment committees and the chair of an international investment company.