This mediation advocacy/negotiation program covers topics well beyond “how to pick a mediator.” It helps the advocate understand what works and why in mediation as well as in direct negotiation. The instructor, Joan Stearn Johnsen, identifies seven of the most common mistakes made by even the most experienced negotiators and highlights best practices of mediation advocacy and certain essential negotiation techniques. Attendees will learn what actually happens “in the other room” during a mediation as well as why experienced negotiating does not always translate into better negotiation.

Ms. Johnsen is a visiting clinical professor at Albany Law School and a commercial mediator for over fifteen years and an arbitrator for over twenty-five years. She has negotiated over seven hundred disputes with a settlement rate of 98 percent