Course overview
A course on advanced knowledge and techniques for drafting and negotiating international contract. Developed and taught by multi-disciplinary experts, the course includes latest findings from psychology relevant to negotiations.
The course is available in four formats:
• Campus
• Clients' Office
• Online (Virtual Classroom) with live tutoring
• Bespoke (Group or 1-2-1 coaching)
100% of AIR income, beyond operational expense, is used towards education and research. Read more…
This course will develop your contract drafting and negotiations skills. It is tailored to your needs and incorporates areas relevant to your interests.
The course combines knowledge and skills from three key areas for drafting and negotiating: law (e.g. risk assessment, litigation in practice and courts’ reasoning); writing (e.g. succinct, clear and easy to follow); and psychology and human behaviour (e.g. persuasion, understanding behaviour and decision making).
There is now an increasing demand for lawyers to minimise archaic language in contracts. This course teaches techniques for drafting highly effective contracts using accessible language, without the need to resort to standard contracts. It teaches how to minimise dispute risks by avoiding archaic language, which creates many loopholes due to multiple possible interpretations.
This course teaches negotiations of contracts from a different perspective to that generally taught. Instead of promoting unpleasant tactics (e.g. getting what you want, planning manipulative techniques), this course promotes using knowledge of human psychology and behaviour to bring out the best in other people. The course teaches how negotiations can be an an enjoyable process, even when dealing with people who may present difficulties.
Why choose this course
You will train with a leading expert with legal training in two key jurisdictions for international business transactions (the UK and the US); with a background in psychology, cognitive sciences and genetics; and with over 10 years of practice and teaching in international business transactions, psychology and law, and decision-making.
You will have the opportunity to gain knowledge from latest research findings in a number of areas: building a strong foundation for negotiating with people from different professions and cultures.
Of thousands of degree-granting universities, Goldsmiths Psychology department is in the World top 100 in the QS ranking for academic reputation. Papers by our academics are highly cited: we hold the 55th place among the Worlds' Psychology departments for the number of citations published per paper.
Campus Courses - VAT-free: Our venues are in central London (Senate House) and in New Cross. You can select your preferred location by choosing the date available.
Virtual Classroom Courses - VAT-free: Live tutoring brings all the benefits of face to face training and, in addition, improves skills for ‘digital’ participation. There is an increasing need for online activities in all areas of life – making ‘digital’ participation an essential skill of the 21st century.
Bespoke Courses: If you are interested in a tailor-made Public Speaking course option (1-1 coaching or bespoke group training), please contact us using the email or phone number provided below.
Is this course for me
This course equips you with knowledge, skills and techniques for both drafting complex multi-jurisdictional contracts and negotiating in complex circumstances and in different contexts. Therefore, this course is for you if your work involves contracts and negotiations, or international business transactions as well as if you have an interest in gaining knowledge in these areas.
The course is also suitable for students and those considering a change of career to international business transactions.
Participants have included lawyers from law firms, inhouse lawyers, executives, bankers, government officials, government negotiators and students.
Other clients also took:
International Business Law (1-week) - Campus or Virtual Classroom
Psychology and Law (1-day) - Campus or Virtual Classroom
The Psychology of Decision Making (1-day) - Campus or Virtual Classroom
Fees
Please see booking page for fees.
Goldsmiths offers a 15% concession rate on short courses to Lewisham Local cardholders, Students and Goldsmiths Alumni. Please email shortcourses@gold.ac.uk for further information.
Booking information
Please note our short courses sell out quickly, so early booking is advisable.
Location
Senate House, University of London, Bloomsbury
Enquiries
Find out more about all of the AIR courses available to you.
For all enquiries, and to be regularly updated on upcoming AIR courses, please email: air (@gold.ac.uk). For anything urgent, or if emailing is not a good option for you, you can also call us via WhatsApp or phone on +44 (0)7908 566 949.
You can also follow us on social media:
- LinkedIn – AIR Courses
- Instagram – @aircourses
- Twitter – @AIR_courses
- Facebook – AIRcourses
Short courses mailing list: for information about our upcoming short courses please sign up to our mailing list.
You can book your place by visiting the booking page on Eventbrite.
Disability Support
We are committed to providing reasonable teaching adjustments for students with disabilities that may impact on their learning experience. If you require adjustments, please complete the relevant section on the booking form and also contact us at shortcourses (@gold.ac.uk) so we can respond to your requests as soon as possible.
Please note that our short courses sell-out quickly, so early booking is advisable.
Please see the AIR homepage for information on our refund policy.
Tutor information
Fatos Selita
This course is directed by Fatos Selita, an English Barrister and a New York State Attorney with training in psychology, human behaviour (behavioural genetics) and other fields. He has taught communication (e.g., public speaking, advocacy, speech writing, persuasion, the psychology of decision-making) for over 12 years, including from 2014 at Goldsmiths.
He has experience training professionals from a range of fields including lawyers, judges, diplomats and doctors. Fatos has taught in several universities internationally. He has a number of research publications and is co-author of Oedipus Rex in the Genomic Era: Human Behaviour, Law and Society.
About the department
AIR courses combine expertise from a range of disciplines, as well as research and practice. Our tutors are renowned experts in their fields, with UK and international qualifications, and extensive teaching experience. For more information about AIR and to view other shorts courses we offer, please visit the AIR homepage.
Course structure
The course provides ample opportunity for consolidating and applying knowledge through practical exercises and interactions. The following elements are covered:
What happens in dispute resolution, both in arbitration and litigation and how to use this knowledge at contract stage to prevent disputes and insure performance
- Conflict of laws/private international law, jurisdiction and other issues
- International commercial litigation procedure
- Litigating in practice, including tactics used in multinational litigation
Techniques for identifying all possible risks covered in a contract to ensure performance and minimise chances of disputes
- Assessing performance risks
- Litigation and other (e.g. legislative, political, judicial) risks
How courts reason in international and domestic disputes and how to cover accordingly in drafting and negotiations
- Understanding commercial courts’ reasoning
- Differences in reasoning in domestic matters
- How differences in reasoning affect drafting and negotiations
How identified risks can be covered in the contract by using accessible language and without the need to resort to standard contracts
- Techniques and practical exercises on contract drafting
- Risk assessment and planning techniques
- Drafting techniques
- Techniques for using clear language concisely
- Techniques for minimising use of contract templates, reducing related harm
- Effective use of contract templates
- Specific international commercial contracts in different areas of practice, including sale of goods and commercial finance: cross-border asset-based lending
Techniques for negotiating contracts, including practical exercises on negotiations
- Effective use of negotiations in drafting
- Negotiation methods and style
- Understanding psychological processes affecting human behaviour
- Negotiations to personality
- Multi-cultural negotiations
- Use of knowledge of individual differences in negotiations
- Mind bugs and negotiations
Findings from psychology (organisational and other) on individuals, groups and cultures and how to apply for successful and enjoyable negotiations
- Psychological processes affecting negotiations
- Perceived and real individual, group and cultural differences; and what they mean for negotiations
Learning outcomes
During this course, you will gain knowledge on all areas covered in the course, including:
- International business law in practice - including development, aim and loopholes in the law and how to use this knowledge in drafting and negotiations.
- Litigation, from commencing proceedings to enforcing judgements; and how such tactics and other risks can be covered in contracts to prevent non-performance and disputes.
- Advanced techniques for identifying elements to be covered in the contract.
- Drafting contracts with accessible language to ensure contract performance and effectiveness as well as to strengthen business relations.
- Science-based negotiation techniques for use at pre-drafting and during drafting stages – that are effective in cross-border and domestic contexts.
- Findings of Psychology on individuals and cultural differences and how to use this knowledge for effective negotiations.
