245 sec. 003 - Negotiations (Fall 2026)
Instructor: Mattie Robertson
View all teaching evaluations for this course - degree students only
Units: 3
Grading Designation: Graded
Mode of Instruction: In-Person
Meeting:
M 3:35 PM - 6:15 PM
Location: Law 145
From August 17, 2026
To November 24, 2026
Course End: November 24, 2026
Class Number: 32533
Enrollment info:
Enrolled: 20
Waitlisted: 7
Enroll Limit: 20
As of: 08/07 12:01 PM
Dispute resolution skills are essential for all attorneys. This interactive course offers students the opportunity to develop their negotiation skills through live, weekly simulations and negotiation exercises designed to give students hands-on experience applying interest-based negotiation techniques. This course examines the theory, skills, and dynamics of negotiation in a variety of contexts, allowing students to explore nuanced scenarios and experiment with different styles and tools. Working in pairs and small groups weekly, students will learn how to effectively communicate and collaborate with others to create value and achieve goals. Through regular reflection and feedback, students will develop their own individual negotiation style.
Course-Specific Learning Outcomes:
• Understand theories underlying different types of negotiations and develop the flexibility to use different styles and skills appropriately in context
• Understand the difference in duties and skills when negotiating as a party or lawyer for their client
• Develop comfort with integrative and distributive bargaining, and how to use them appropriately to meet the needs of your client
• Recognize barriers to negotiation and analyze options to overcome
• Ethical understanding of how to negotiate in a multi-cultural environment by recognizing how gender, ethnicity, and culture may impact particular negotiations
• Strengthen communication skills and understand the role of relationship building in negotiation
Additional UC Berkeley Law Learning Outcomes:
• Knowledge and understanding of substantive and/or procedural law, and legal analysis and reasoning in the context of negotiations
• Problem solving and using the law to solve real-world problems
• Written and oral communication in the context of negotiations
• Professional skills needed for competent and ethical participation as a member of the legal profession (such as interviewing, counseling, negotiation, fact development and analysis, document drafting, conflict resolution, organization and management of legal work, collaboration, cultural competency, and self-evaluation)
Instructor Bio: Professor Mattie Robertson is a dispute resolution professional who has mediated hundreds of cases, and is certified as a mediator, facilitator, and arbitrator. She spent a decade working in nonprofits after law school managing court and community dispute resolution programs, mentoring professional mediators and conducting trainings in mediation, negotiation, and arbitration. Professor Robertson was previously the Deputy Director of the Center for Negotiation and Dispute Resolution (CNDR) at UC Law San Francisco overseeing academics and extracurricular programs in ADR for the law school, where she also developed practitioner trainings for mediators, attorneys, judges, and government organizations. Professor Robertson currently teaches the Mediation Clinic at UC Law SF supervising students working as mediators in local agencies and courts. She is also a member of the 2025 Alternative Dispute Resolution Working Group charged with developing a certification framework for ADR providers and practitioners and serves as a mediator for the ADR Program at the US District Court for the Northern District of California. Professor Robertson is a graduate of UC Law San Francisco.
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Requirements Satisfaction:
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Exam Notes: (SP) Presentations that count for a significant portion of the grade
(Subject to change by faculty member only through the first two weeks of instruction)
Course Category: Simulation Courses
If you are the instructor or their FSU, you may add a file like a syllabus or a first assignment.
Class materials may also be available on bCourses.berkeley.edu
Readers:
No reader.
Books:
Required Books are in blue
- Bargaining for Advantage: Negotiation Strategies for Reasonable People
G. Richard Shell
Edition: 2006
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 9780143036975
e-Book Available: Yes
Price: $11.00
Note: prices are sampled from internet bookstores. Law-school Bookstore prices are unavailable at this time. - Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most
Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, Sheila Heen
Edition: 2023
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 9780143137597
e-Book Available: Yes
Price: 13
Note: prices are sampled from internet bookstores. Law-school Bookstore prices are unavailable at this time. - Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In
Roger Fisher, William L. Ury, Bruce Patton
Edition: 2011
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 9780143118756
e-Book Available: Yes
Price: 13
Note: prices are sampled from internet bookstores. Law-school Bookstore prices are unavailable at this time.