Every day brings negotiations in everything we do. As attorneys, we negotiate the terms of engagement with our clients; we negotiate on our clients’ behalf, then negotiate with the clients to explain how the terms we negotiated serve their best interests. There are more subtle forms of negotiation as well. We negotiate how to reach our destination as efficiently as possible; we negotiate with our kids over their bedtimes. We also negotiate with ourselves how best to spend our time. Negotiation is a skill we use in every aspect of our personal and professional lives.

We all have a vested interest in improving our negotiation skills. For our upcoming annual meeting on Thursday Jan. 19, 2023, the Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law (EASL) Committee of the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) has assembled a panel of expert negotiators, representing different industries and business environments, to share their views on the best negotiation practices. Many common themes apply to negotiation, from preparation and research, to emotional intelligence and communication skills, to long-term and critical thinking. This event is designed to help all attorneys improve our negotiation IQ!