Tag Archives: BATNA

Resources for Teaching About BATNA, Bottom Lines, and LIRA

If you teach students that it’s important to analyze their BATNAs, consider including material in your course on litigation interest and risk assessment, aka LIRA. Virtually every negotiation, mediation, and ADR survey course teaches students that they should figure out their BATNA when negotiating or mediating. That is sooooo much easier said than done, as … Continue reading Resources for Teaching About BATNA, Bottom Lines, and LIRA

Decision-Making as an Essential Element of Our Field

Several contributors to the Theory-of-Change book suggested that we should reconceptualize our field, shifting away from defining it in terms of particular dispute resolution procedures such as negotiation, mediation, and arbitration. I think that this idea makes sense, and this post suggests that we should include a decision-making lens that may be part of a … Continue reading Decision-Making as an Essential Element of Our Field

LIRA @ CPR

This post summarizes presentations, data collected, and discussion in the “Risky Business: A Toolbox for Managing Litigation Interests and Risks” program on February 28, 2020 at CPR’s annual meeting.  There never is enough time to cover everything you want to say, so this post elaborates the discussion at the program. Based on our book, Litigation … Continue reading LIRA @ CPR

How to Calculate and Use BATNAs and Bottom Lines with LIRA

Everyone talks about knowing one’s BATNA in negotiation and mediation.  But that’s a lot easier said than done. In litigated cases, the value of the BATNA usually is the expected trial outcome, but that is notoriously hard to predict for many reasons.  The outcome of numerous legal and factual issues may depend on the evidence, … Continue reading How to Calculate and Use BATNAs and Bottom Lines with LIRA

Readings and Resources for Teaching

Now as an annual tradition, here’s a reminder of some of my favorite things you might require or recommend that students read as you gear up for the new year. My short “Letter to Kelly” provides advice for new 1Ls.  If you teach a 1L course, you might assign it even though it doesn’t focus … Continue reading Readings and Resources for Teaching

Reality-Testing Questions for Real Life and Simulations – and Ideas for Stone Soup Assignments

Litigation offers many potential benefits.  It can help people solve difficult problems, make relationships and institutions function properly, and promote justice.  It enables people to enlist legitimate, independent government officials to resolve disputes when the parties can’t resolve disputes themselves.  Indeed, litigation provides mechanisms for structuring dispute resolution processes that enable most parties to ultimately … Continue reading Reality-Testing Questions for Real Life and Simulations – and Ideas for Stone Soup Assignments

Readings and Resources for Teaching

As you gear up for the new year, here’s a reminder of some of my favorite things you might require or recommend that students read. My short “Letter to Kelly” provides advice for new 1Ls.  If you teach a 1L course, you might assign it even though it doesn’t focus on any particular 1L subject. … Continue reading Readings and Resources for Teaching

Keet and Heavin on Why Litigation Interest and Risk Assessment is So Darn Important for Lawyers and Mediators – And How You Can Make Stone Soup With It

Michaela Keet and Heather Heavin (Saskatchewan), have been studying “litigation interest and risk assessment” (LIRA), something you probably teach using different names.  You probably emphasize the importance of analyzing BATNAs and preparing for negotiation and mediation, which are basic elements of LIRA. Building on their own and others’ research, they developed a simple but comprehensive … Continue reading Keet and Heavin on Why Litigation Interest and Risk Assessment is So Darn Important for Lawyers and Mediators – And How You Can Make Stone Soup With It

George J. Siedel: Are Negotiators Subject To Liability For Using Their BATNA Power?

From George J. Seidel, Williamson Family Professor of Business Administration and Thurnau Professor of Business Law at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business: Many thanks to John Lande, Hiro Aragaki, and Sanda Kaufman for their recent posts that have clarified the meaning of “BATNA.”  BATNA is an important concept because it is often a … Continue reading George J. Siedel: Are Negotiators Subject To Liability For Using Their BATNA Power?