Negotiation skills: an objective of the Legal English course

Abstract

The article relies heavily on the experience and findings gathered through the author's involvement in the design and production of the English for Legal Purposes (ELP) textbook, coordinated by the British Council. It deals with one of the main objectives of the ELP syllabus, namely the development of negotiation skills—an essential element of any future lawyer's skillset. As such, the paper aims at defining the ELP's course area-specific objectives, with particular reference to Romanian current and future negotiators. The second part of the article illustrates the unit on Legal Negotiations included in the English for Legal Purposes textbook. Acknowledging that the unit described is by no means exhaustive, the paper suggests stressing the importance of using language persuasively in negotiations, taking into account the various cross-cultural factors that influence international negotiations, as well as considering all the possible tactics and approaches that can be used in such a scenario.