Add Your PerspectiveJanuary 27, 2010

New Information: One Way to Help Your Client Save Face

The mediation had dragged for an entire day, and we hadn’t made much progress. The other side said they couldn’t give any more, and we wouldn’t, either. The mediator’s proposal that followed was the best deal we’d ever get and, frankly, it was the right number. But my client’s COO reacted instantly, calling in a “no” on his way home. Our answer was due to the mediator in in 24 hours.

As I prepared to discuss the mediator’s proposal with our executive team and the COO the next day I realized my client might have painted himself into a corner — after a good night’s sleep I was confident he would want to change his mind, but sometimes it’s not that easy.

Only Two Ways to Get the Case Settled

I debated how to settle the case that day, and there were only two ways to get it done: with my COO or without him. I could gather the facts and work to More…

Categories: Communication, Mediation, Negotiation, Settlement, Tactics

6 PerspectivesDecember 31, 2009

A Simple Thank You

Yesterday I got to spend a little time with Michael Maslanka, whose Blawg 100-listed Work Matters site many of you might know.  As Mike and I shared ideas and perspectives on Web 2.0, blogging in general, and the true sense of community that drives it all, I reflected a bit on 2009 and the people and personalities that make Settlement Perspectives what it is.

While that first post of 2009 seems like only yesterday, a lot has happened since then.  Through it all many of you have subscribed to, commented on and forwarded the posts you have seen here, and for that I cannot thank you enough.

In addition to the active readership we have at Settlement Perspectives, several prominent bloggers and publications have linked to our posts.  Following up on a great idea I saw earlier this week on the Loree Reinsurance and Arbitration Law Forum, I take this opportunity to highlight many of those blogs and publications as a way to say “thank you”.

Decision Tree Analysis And More

Early in the year we did a series on decision trees and how to use them more effectively in mediation and litigation.  The series generated some interesting discussions, including:

• The National Law Journal’s “Corporate Warfare Has to Make Business Sense These Days”, written by Michael Cavendish — a business litigator who knows what questions to ask and who understands where the practice of law is headed;
• Litigation Accounting for In-House Counsel at the IP ADR Blog, now Commercial ADR – Commercial Solutions to Justice Problems, which is a new initiative from talented trainer and mediator Victoria Pynchon;
• Diane Levin’s post A round-up of must-read articles for professional mediators, which More…

Categories: Blogging, Negotiation

5 PerspectivesDecember 15, 2009

Insurance Coverage: 4 Rules and 10 Tips for Policyholders

When the big case comes in, will you be ready for it?  As you work to better understand your story, lock down your documents, and brace for the PR impact, what else do you need to worry about?  Unfortunately insurance coverage is often way down the list — a mistake most don’t realize until it’s too late.

Recently the ACC Docket featured a piece that Wendy Toolin Breau and I coauthored on managing insurance relationships in the midst of significant litigation, entitled “‘Bet the Company’ Litigation from a Policyholder’s Perspective”.  Although you may want to read the entire article when your next big case comes in, the 4 rules and 10 tips we discuss appear below.

Preserving Insurance Coverage:  4 Rules

Insurance is a practice area unto itself, and there are few rules that apply in all situations.  But I have never seen an exception to these four:

1. Always act like a reasonably prudent insured. When confronted with a decision, what would you do if you were not insured?
2. Never try to outsmart yourself. Never rely on colluding with More…

Categories: Mediation, Miscellaneous, Negotiation, Settlement, Strategy

Add Your PerspectiveDecember 9, 2009

Delivering Bad News in Negotiation: 3 More Tips

Last week we discussed why a small group is usually a better audience for bad news in Delivering Bad News:  How Big Is Your Conference Room? Yet if small group delivery is not an option, what else can you do to get a difficult message across?  Three tactics come to mind.

Manage Expectations

Long Before the Mediation Starts. Last year I wrote Managing Expectations:  An Unexpected Lesson on the Bus to Hertz, and the lesson holds true in conference rooms, too.  Not so long ago I had a case against an online retailer whose CEO enjoyed an irrational confidence in his case. With our mediation just a month away, I knew we had to move the CEO much closer to reality to get the case settled.  Rather than surprise him at mediation with documents and bad facts he hadn’t yet seen — like the guys in my post last week did to me — I spent a great deal of time More…

Categories: Communication, Fundamentals, Mediation, Negotiation, Settlement, Strategy, Tactics