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Description

Negotiation for Legal Professionals: Scoping the Mandate, Negotiating Clauses and Closing

Move beyond the drafting role and lead a contract negotiation without weakening your legal position

  • 2 days — 14 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • Intermediate
  • Up to 6 participants

In-house counsel are often brought into a negotiation late: the business has already committed to a price, a deadline and sometimes an untenable liability clause. Counsel is then left defending, point by point, positions they did not choose, with no clear arbitration between legal certainty and commercial priorities.

These two days address negotiation as it is actually practised in the region. Over two days participants learn to obtain a clearly defined mandate, to rank clauses between firm requirements and open points, to lead the discussion with a non-legal counterpart and to formalise the agreement. Practice sessions focus on sensitive clauses and on an amicable settlement.

Learning objectives

  • Scope the negotiation mandate with the business and executive management
  • Rank clauses between firm requirements
  • points open to discussion and secondary matters
  • Conduct an exchange of positions without revealing your room for manoeuvre too early
  • Argue a sensitive clause with a non-legal counterpart
  • Formalise the agreement and secure the points left open

What makes this programme different

Negotiation is practised on clauses that are genuinely contested such as liability and intellectual property
Each participant learns to have trade-offs decided by the organisation rather than carrying them alone
An amicable settlement simulation closes the session with a review of the concessions exchanged

Programme

1Scoping Before Negotiating

Securing a clear mandate from your organisation

  • Identifying the operational and financial stakes behind the request
  • Questions to ask the business in order to define what is acceptable
  • Ranking clauses and determining non-negotiable points
  • Anticipating the likely positions of the other party
  • Allocating roles between counsel and the business at the table

2Leading the Discussion

Holding a position without damaging the relationship

  • Opening
  • anchoring and handling the first requests
  • Listening for the interests behind the stated positions
  • Managing silence
  • pressure and escalation to senior management
  • Handling negotiations with several counterparts
  • Situations of imbalance between the parties

3Sensitive Clauses

Building arguments where positions harden

  • Liability
  • warranties and caps on compensation
  • Intellectual property and usage rights
  • Personal data and confidentiality undertakings
  • Term
  • termination and exit from the contract
  • Penalties
  • service levels and related indicators

4Closing and Preventing Disputes

Settling the agreement and preparing what follows

  • Formalising agreed points and handling matters left open
  • Drafting negotiation minutes and the weight of preparatory exchanges
  • Negotiating an amicable settlement and structuring reciprocal concessions
  • Dispute resolution clauses and choosing the resolution method
  • Feeding lessons learned back to the operational teams

Who is it for

In-house counsel · legal managers · associates in law firms · contract specialists and any professional who negotiates or approves agreements on behalf of an organisation.

Prerequisites

Practical experience in drafting or reviewing contracts

Dates & locations

24 scheduled dates between November 2026 and December 2027. Seats are confirmed in the order enquiries are received.

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

February 2027

March 2027

April 2027

May 2027

June 2027

September 2027

October 2027

November 2027

December 2027

None of these dates suit you? We open additional sessions on request, and any programme can be run privately for your team.

Practical details

Before the programme
Online positioning questionnaire. Your development objectives are shared with the trainer, who tailors the practical case studies to your context.
Teaching methods
Theoretical input, workshops and practical case studies. Digital course materials and method sheets provided.
Assessment
Multiple-choice tests and role-play exercises. Assessment of learning at the start and end of the programme, with immediate and 60-day follow-up evaluations.
After the programme
One year of access to the e-learning platform. Self-assessment of the skills acquired and a 30-day follow-up session with your trainer.
How to register
Registration online or on the basis of a quotation.
Lead time
11 working days after confirmation of registration.
Accessibility
Accessible to people of determination. Contact our accessibility coordinator to design a suitable solution: contact@mpf-academy.ae
Start dates
Rolling intake: in addition to the scheduled sessions, this programme can start on request.