Lawyering with Planned Early Negotiation:
How You Can Get Good Results for Clients and Make Money

by John Lande

This book is written primarily for lawyers who want to improve their effectiveness. Whether you're a solo practitioner or in a mid- to large-sized firm, you negotiate all the time. This guide shows how you can be more successful using Planned Early Negotiation (PEN).

The strategies in this book can help you become a more effective negotiator, which can increase your professional satisfaction, generate good will, relieve stress, and increase your effective billing rates with creative fee arrangements. The book includes advice from interviews of outstanding lawyers who handle all kinds of cases.

But this book is not only about negotiation -- it outlines a general approach to practicing law. This book will help you:

PEN focuses on building good professional relationships with your clients and the other side to help clients more efficiently and avoid getting stuck in unproductive games.

Most cases never go to trial. Most are settled late and in an unplanned, disorganized manner.

Many lawyers are afraid to suggest negotiation because they're afraid it makes their cases look weak. They are trapped in a "prison of fear" that harms clients who would benefit from negotiating early instead of settling on the courthouse steps. This book offers you a way to escape from this prison of fear.

With PEN, you serve your clients' interests by planning to negotiate from the outset. Litigation is still possible, but it isn't the first step.

This book is based on research on mediation and Cooperative and Collaborative Practice. It suggests that lawyers take the initiative to jointly manage their cases. This involves exchanging the information you need to settle instead of waiting to respond to courts or mediators. It suggests procedures to plan constructive negotiations - and deal with problems that commonly arise.

PEN is not appropriate in every case but when it is, it provides you a way to satisfy many clients and make money by using your time more efficiently.

In addition to lawyers in private practice, others can also benefit:

• Corporate and government counsel can use it to manage their dockets.
• Bar associations and courts can use it in CLE programs.
• Professionals such as mediators can use it to work with lawyers better.
• Legal clients can use it to work more effectively with their lawyers.
• Law school instructors can use it in negotiation and lawyering courses.
• Law students can get a practical perspective about legal practice.

The American Bar Association published the book, which includes a CD with numerous practical forms. Here are links to the table of contents and a detailed summary of the book. For more information and to order the book, click here.