Lawyering Peace: A Skills-Based Negotiation Simulation Series for Law Students
Second Simulation
July 15, 2015
Time: 6:00 - 9:00 pm
Location: 815 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20006
The Public International Law & Policy Group (PILPG) cordially invites law students in the Washington, D.C. area to participate in the upcoming session of our summer peace negotiation simulation series. These simulations are designed to expose summer associates and law students to the skills needed to be the lawyer in a peace process. The next negotiation simulation, Building a Peace Agreement in Yemen, will be hosted by Baker & McKenzie on July 15, 2015, from 6:00 to 9:00 PM. Food will be provided.
Participants are not expected to be experts on the topic. A short background document will be provided in advance of the simulation and no additional research is required. Skills to be developed include creating and applying negotiation strategies, exploring opposing interests, dealing with high-pressure situations, and working as part of a team.
In 2014, Yemen’s political transition was praised as a model for achieving peaceful political transition in the Middle East. Today, conflict has brought the political transition to a halt, drawn in participants from across the region, and toppled Yemen into a full-scale humanitarian crisis. Each participant will be assigned to play the role of one of the major constituencies or key actors in Yemen, and will negotiate key elements of a future peace agreement in working groups. At the conclusion of the simulation, all participants will be invited to share their comments and lessons learned in a brief roundtable discussion.
This negotiation simulation will identify the challenges involved in negotiating a comprehensive peace settlement in Yemen and explore potential points of agreement or disagreement among the key negotiating parties. PILPG’s negotiation simulations are developed using the methodology employed by the United States Department of State’s National Foreign Affairs Training Institute, which runs similar simulations for U.S. diplomats prior to negotiations.
The session is free of charge. If you would like to attend, please fill out the form here. Space is limited, and you will receive a confirmation email if a spot is available. Participation is contingent upon confirmation from PILPG. This invitation is transferable; please feel free to circulate to your colleagues. If you have any questions, please contact Christin Coster at ccoster@pilpg.org.
PILPG has over 20 years of experience providing pro bono legal assistance to parties and civil society actors involved in peace negotiations and post-conflict constitution drafting, and often serves as legal experts to negotiation delegations or constitution-drafting entities.