An Evening of Contract Negotiation, Skill Development—and Cake Pops
On Wednesday, January 29th, SVUDL students convened with attorneys at the Perkins Coie Palo Alto office for an evening of contract negotiation, skill development—and some very good cake pops.
The professional access event—one of several that SVUDL coordinates each year in partnership with the Legal Advisory Committee members and other SVUDL champions—brought 18 SVUDL students together with a cohort of lawyers from Perkins Coie LLP. A major international law firm, Perkins Coie represents businesses across various industries at 21 offices in the U.S. and abroad. The Palo Alto office, which opened its doors to SVUDL students for the event, counts top Silicon Valley companies like Meta as their clients. At last Wednesday’s event, the firm’s cohort was composed of experienced commercial litigators and legal experts in various areas, including privacy & data security, emerging companies, and technology transactions.
As students arrived at the Palo Alto office, they were greeted with dinner and a generous sweep of desserts—a welcoming reception after a long day of classes. With nametags and dinner boxes in tow, students found their seats for the opening presentation. Among the crowd was also the cohort of attendees from Perkins, who would soon pair up with SVUDL attendees for the evening’s main event: the negotiating skills simulation.
Megan Gritsch, counsel for Meta, and Alison Watkins, Partner for Perkins Cole, began the activities for the evening with a presentation on negotiating skills and strategies. The presenters kept the slideshow brief, giving students a quick overview of the main goals of contract negotiation and noting some key takeaways before introducing the simulation. With the help of lawyers from Perkins, the presenters explained, SVUDL students would be trying their hand at contract negotiation. The scenario? Negotiating a price between a celebrity power couple and a tabloid for highly exclusive, never-before-seen photos of the couple’s new baby!
As the activity began, pairs and trios of students were joined by at least one lawyer for the first stage of the simulation: the preparation period. Each student-lawyer team was given a one-pager, briefing them on the scenario as well as confidential details about the client they were representing. Together, they analyzed the information they were given and identified the needs, desires, and goals of their party. Then, each group brainstormed strategies to secure favorable terms for their client in the upcoming negotiation, thinking through various scenarios and devising a flexible plan of action.
After talking through the scenario, it was time for the first round. Leaving their prep bases, teams paired together and commenced the negotiations, with the students taking the lead in proposing terms and discussing offers with one another and the Perkins attendees observing. After the first round, the student-lawyer teams regrouped and discussed the initial conversation, then strategized together for the next round.
Pairing together with the same opposing team once (or twice) more, students proposed and rejected various terms on behalf of their clients. By the end of the evening, each group had negotiated a mutually agreed-upon contract for the sale of the baby photos to the magazine.
Regardless of the final shape of each group’s contract, students agreed—the event was a resounding success! Besides widespread praise for the refreshments, students found the simulation engaging and exciting. Elijah Valerio, a senior at Andrew P. Hill High School, shared that he enjoyed the negotiation process, and that “in the end, our client was very happy.” His takeaway? “You can always win more than you expect,” he shared. His negotiating partner, Eduardo, learned that “royalties exist and they are very good.” Expanding on his opinion of the event, Eduardo shared that he also “really enjoyed” the negotiation rounds and that the evening “very much exceeded” his expectations.
Adrian Aguilar, a sophomore at Andrew P. Hill High School, shared that she enjoyed meeting and working together with students from other schools “on something both sides had no prior knowledge of.” The diversity within her team “helped a lot when [diving] into the topic and analyzing it from all different perspectives”. She also noted that their group’s lawyer gave insight into “how to set up a negotiation” and strategies such as “not showing your cards all at once.”
Many students also noted the differences between negotiating and debating, and the different strategies and skills required by each. Aguilar shared that it was “a real shock” shifting into a negotiation mindset from a debate background, but that she learned a lot and had an “amazing” time.
Ansor Abdulhamidov, a sophomore at Mt. Pleasant High School, also took away some lessons in negotiation from the event. In his words, “I learned that, for everyone to be happy, sometimes sacrifices have to be made. For example, during the negotiation, I didn’t realize the limit of how much money the other party was willing to pay. Compared to [my price offer], I realized that I might have to lower my price, which may make me less satisfied, but in turn everyone will be happier in the end.”
Overall, SVUDL attendees appreciated the opportunity to dive into the world of negotiation and connect with lawyers, learning new skills alongside their peers in a fun and supportive environment. SVUDL is grateful to our community partners at Meta and Perkins Coie for facilitating this professional access event for our students. Special thanks to Megan and Alison for hosting us!
