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Robert W. Cullen, Esq.      

Law Class: Negotiation

 

Course Description

I.       Overview
The goal of this course is to improve both your understanding of negotiation and your effectiveness as a negotiator.  Within class, you'll spend a significant amount of time in simulated negotiation role plays.  Homework will typically consist of preparing for the next class negotiation, assigned readings and writing a journal entry.  There will be no final exam.  You will be graded on your negotiation preparation outlines and your journal entries. 
 
II.      Course Materials

  • Bargaining for Advantage: Negotiation Strategies for Reasonable People by G. Richard Shell
     
  • Lawyer Negotiation: Theory, Practice and Law by Jay Folberg and Dwight Golann
     
  • Various Additional Readings
     

III.    Simulated Negotiation Exercises
At the end of many classes, I will distribute simulated negotiation role play exercises for the following class.  These will have different roles for different people.  You will receive role play materials and confidential instructions.  Do not share the confidential instructions with other students.
 
IV.     Course Requirements

  • Attendance and Preparation. Your attendance and preparation are critical in the course.  In many classes, you'll be paired to negotiate with other students. It will be important to come to class prepared to negotiate.  This will provide the most benefit to you in your partner.  You will have to prepare a negotiation outline for each negotiation that will be graded. 
     
  • Good Faith Effort.  Learning to be a better negotiator is not something can be simply taught to you.  You must work at it to improve.  A good-faith effort is important to you and your classmate’s learning experience.
     
  • Participation.  This is a discussion course and it will be helpful if everyone participates.  Also, if you have creative ideas on how to explore the materials and subject matter in an interesting and entertaining way, please let me know. You will have to negotiate all of the exercises unless you have an excuse for missing one in order to get a passing grade. 
     
  • Requirements.
     
    • Journals.  You will be required to keep a journal and make journal entries over the course of the semester.  You will be graded on your preparation sheet and your journal entries.  You need to start a journal and keep it in a 3 hole binder.   These entries will need to be typed and turned in on 3 hole paper in your binder.  (I have allowed hand written entireties in the past..  sorry, it did not work).  In the journals, you'll prepare your negotiations in writing, develop ideas and reflect upon negotiations for the week.  Entries into the journals should be made weekly and will be turned in every few weeks.
       

Negotiation Binder.  One of the goals of the class will be for you to develop checklists, preparation outlines, useful articles and documents that you can use in your future career.  You will be asked to collect these helpful documents, articles, and any additional written information and organize them into a Negotiation binder.  You will submit this binder at the end of class. 

V.            Grading:
               
        1.   This class will be graded.  You will be graded on your preparation outlines and your journal entries.