Are You Prepared?

Practical preparation tips for your next mediation or negotiation.

“We should project our thoughts ahead of us at every turn and have in mind every possible eventuality instead of the usual course of events.”

—Seneca

Before entering a negotiation, it’s critical to prepare. We all know this, based on experience, instinct, or both. But how do we prepare?

If you are a lawyer about to enter settlement negotiations on a case, you need to know your case facts and the law applicable to those facts. Preparation of this sort will allow you, in turn, to assess a range of possible outcomes were the case to go to trial, and those possible outcomes will help you formulate a reasonable range of settlement values.

Similarly, if you’re going to buy a car, advance research will help you understand reasonable price ranges for the array of options you might encounter at the dealership or shopping online. Before engaging in negotiation, you should know what other dealers sell the car you want, or something similar, and what other vehicles might offer the features you need…