The Lawyer as Strategic Negotiator

Moving from technical support to shaping outcomes at the negotiation table

It takes more than legal expertise to perform at a high level in a negotiation. Based on real-life case studies and group exercises, this course gives lawyers a structured, practical methodology to handle complex negotiations and to move from a supporting role to a strategic one.

Why It Matters

Negotiation is woven into the fabric of business life. Companies buy and sell, form partnerships, hire and contract, resolve disputes: almost everything of consequence gets done through an agreement with someone else. Lawyers sit close to the centre of this: drafting the contracts, marking up the terms, advising on validity, assembling the documentation.

And yet, for most lawyers, that involvement stays partial. They advise, support, and draft, but they rarely shape the strategy, the dynamics, or the outcome. That support role is valuable but it is also, increasingly, the part of the job AI is best at. Contract review, markups, comparing versions, flagging missing provisions: tools already handle a growing share of this work, and they are improving fast.

What AI cannot do is what separates a strategic negotiator from a technical resource: understanding the broader concept, making choices, building trust, decrypting body language, choosing when to push and when to yield, keeping composure when the pressure is on. This training gives lawyers a structured, practical methodology to make that shift: from supporting negotiations to shaping negotation strategies and outcomes.

Content

Built on real-life case studies and group exercises, the training follows the full arc of a negotiation, from preparation to closing:

Before you sit down.
Preparation determines most of what happens at the table. Participants learn to think strategically about the negotiation, define what success looks like, build their BATNA, map the players and relationships involved, and clarify their own role within the negotiation team.

At the table.
How to move the conversation from rigid positions to the interests behind them, use creativity to expand the options on the table, stay hard on the issues while remaining easy on the people, and build the common ground that unlocks agreement.

When it gets difficult.
How to recognise power games and hardball tactics as they happen, and how to respond without losing ground or composure.

Managing yourself.
Negotiation is as much a test of self-management as of strategy. Neogtiators must learn to control their emotions, read and manage their own body language, and stay sharp and fresh through long, high-pressure sessions.

The day after.
How to close a negotiation well, run an after-action review, and ensure a smooth handover to whoever implements the agreement.

Who Should Attend

Lawyers in charge of leading or contributing to complex negotiations in private practice and in-house alike.

Format and Options

The training can be either delivered as a generic session covering a broad range of negotiation situations, or tailored to a specific type of negotiation most relevant to your organisation: M&A transactions, commercial contracts with suppliers and customers, labour negotiations, and other high-stakes negotiations.

Duration is usually half a day. If necessary, it can be expanded into a longer or several sessions to cover the content in more depth.

Available in English, French, and Dutch.

Fees are quoted individually following a conversation with Antoine.

Antoine Henry de Frahan

The course is delivered by Antoine or trainers he has personally trained in his methodology.

Before becoming a consultant, coach, and trainer, Antoine negotiated complex transactions as a lawyer at Cleary Gottlieb and Linklaters and Engie: M&A deals, international joint ventures, privatisations, and complex industrial projects.

Over the last 25+ years as a consultant, he has designed and led communication and negotiation training programs for hundreds of lawyers internationally.

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