245 sec. 001 - Negotiations (Fall 2026)
Instructor: Christopher Burch Hockett (view instructor's teaching evaluations - degree students only)
View all teaching evaluations for this course - degree students only
Units: 2
Grading Designation: Graded
Mode of Instruction: In-Person
Meetings:
M 6:25 PM - 9:05 PM
Location: Law 145
From August 17, 2026
To August 31, 2026
M 6:25 PM - 9:05 PM
Location: Law 113
From September 21, 2026
To November 09, 2026
Course End: November 09, 2026
Class Number: 32531
Enrollment info:
Enrolled: 17
Waitlisted: 12
Enroll Limit: 20
As of: 06/27 10:25 PM
Negotiation is everywhere in legal practice. Whether you're a commercial litigator negotiating settlements, a corporate lawyer hammering out deals, or a public interest, in-house, government, or criminal lawyer advocating for clients, negotiation is central to the work. And that's just client-facing work; you'll also negotiate constantly with your own bosses, clients, and colleagues. Yet despite negotiation's importance, many lawyers treat it as an intuitive skill rather than a learnable craft. Systematic study of the negotiation process—why some negotiations fail, the inherent dilemmas in bargaining, and the techniques required to negotiate successfully—offers lawyers an enormous advantage. Practicing and refining these skills will help you achieve better outcomes for clients, navigate difficult conversations with greater confidence, and develop the ability to create value while claiming your fair share.
This class combines negotiation theory and intensive hands-on practice. It develops your self-awareness as a negotiator and provides tools for analyzing and preparing for negotiations. Through practice with role-plays, self-reflection, and feedback from others, you'll sharpen your negotiating abilities. But it goes beyond just tactics - you'll explore the bigger picture of how negotiation fits into legal contexts, ethical considerations, collaborating with others, and more. It's an intense, realistic—and fun!— learning experience requiring weekly readings, assignments, and live negotiation simulations. You'll learn by doing, figuring out what works (or doesn't), reflecting on it, and trying new approaches.
The course moves from negotiations with fewer factors to more complex scenarios, helping you appreciate first-hand the nuanced challenges they present. As the course progresses, you will learn how to refine your personal negotiation style and develop tools for self-awareness, adaptability, and ongoing self-improvement. Because participating in the weekly simulations is central to the course, attendance is mandatory.
Instructor Bio: Chris Hockett is a retired partner from Davis Polk’s Northern California office, where he focused on complex disputes and strategic problem-solving for many of the world’s largest technology and communications companies. He now serves as a mediator, arbitrator, and court-appointed Special Master, and teaches at Berkeley Law and University of Virginia Law School. He also has co-chaired an annual intensive training program for federal judges that alternates between Berkeley Law and the University of Chicago Law School.
During his career in practice, Chris handled a broad range of high-stakes commercial litigation matters, including in the areas of antitrust and unfair competition, intellectual property, securities, and consumer class actions. As lead counsel, he prevailed for clients in over 100 complex cases, as well as led negotiations that successfully resolved claims involving billions of dollars.
Chris teaches Negotiations as well as a course on Antitrust and Digital Platforms. He is on the Northern District of California Mediation and Early Neutral Evaluation Panels, and also serves on the Northern District of California’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Local Rules Committee. Chris received his law degree from the University of Virginia.
Special enrollment rules for this class:
1) You must purchase a license for the required role-play materials from the Bookstore. Each student who purchases a license will receive confidential role-play information directly from the instructor depending on their role in a particular negotiation. You cannot participate in the negotiation exercises without purchasing the role-play license from the Bookstore. You must purchase these materials by the end of the first week of class or be dropped from the course.
2) You must attend the first class in order to be admitted. Any student who does not attend the first class without prior permission of the instructor will be dropped from the class.
3) You must commit to remain in the course by no later than noon on Friday, August 21, 2026, the last day of the first full week of fall semester classes. Due to both the use of simulation exercises throughout the semester and the need to determine the members of the class as soon as possible, the usual provisions of "Drop/Add" do not apply.
Attendance at the first class is mandatory for all currently enrolled and waitlisted students; any currently enrolled or waitlisted students who are not present on the first day of class (without prior permission of the instructor) will be dropped. The instructor will continue to take attendance throughout the add/drop period and anyone who moves off the waitlist into the class must continue to attend or have prior permission of the instructor in order not to be dropped.
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Requirements Satisfaction:
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Exam Notes: (T) Final practice trial or arguments
(Subject to change by faculty member only through the first two weeks of instruction)
Course Category: Simulation Courses
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Class materials may also be available on bCourses.berkeley.edu
Readers:
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Books:
Instructor has not yet confirmed their textbook order, please check back later.