Negotiation is the art of reaching agreements . . . so why does it seem like a painful, ritualized ordeal of disagreement? This discussion will explore the principles of negotiation, illustrate how these principles apply to legal negotiations-- and show that when claims and counsel share an understanding of what actually works in negotiation, settlements will be faster and often lower.  Attendees will walk away with a better understanding of how to achieve favorable agreements and recognize all-too-common negotiation pitfalls, techniques and tools that top negotiators use, as well as a proven method of leveraging focus group findings in settlement talks.