Taking mediation and negotiation in law schools to the next level

Competitions are undoubtedly valuable: they provide students with a platform to demonstrate their skills in a highly competitive environment, promote quick thinking and build confidence. And the students in India give professional and great performance in every competition in India and abroad.

Students seem to attach a lot of weight to the competitions and their annual results. This means that when the students have won certain competitions, there is a feeling that they know or have learned everything about the subject or that they have honed their skills.

But the concern lies in whether these competitions deepen their understanding or simply test their skills at a superficial level.

In most cases, students have mastered the art of winning, but not necessarily the art of understanding. They take classes, learn techniques and apply them in simulated environments, but do they take the time to delve into the nuances of negotiation and mediation?

Do they develop the skills to ask probing questions, reflect critically and truly understand the complexity of conflict resolution?

Often the answer is no.