NLU Delhi HSF International Negotiation Competition 2014

Name of the Organisation : National Law University
Name of the Competition : HSF International Negotiation Competition 2014
Location : Delhi

Website : http://www.nludelhi.ac.in/

HSF International Negotiation Competition 2014 :
Competition Rules :
1.The first edition of the NLU Delhi – HSF International Negotiation Competition will be held at NLU, Delhi from 12-14.September 2014
2.The Competition aims at providing an opportunity to law students of top universities to practice and improve their negotiation skills. It provides a platform to the meritorious students to compete in a truly diverse and an international environment, making negotiations more complex than usual. The competition is carefully structured to simulate legal negotiations particularly for those students who aspire to be international lawyers.
3.The participating students, acting as lawyers, will negotiate a series of legal simulations. The simulations, which are based on real life examples, comprise : (i) a common set of facts known to all participants; and (ii) confidential information known only to the participants representing a particular side.
4.Participation in the Competition is by invitation only and in this edition only 16 teams are being invited.

Participating Team Composition :
1.Each Participating Team will :(i) consist of two Eligible Students; and (ii) not be permitted to change the composition of its team once the same has been communicated to the Competition Administrator (other than in case of unforeseen circumstances, such as, severe medical ailment and denial of visa).
2.Each Participating Team may be accompanied by a maximum of one coach to assist them in preparation for the Negotiation Sessions. The coach may not be a person who has been approached by the Competition Administrator for being a judge or otherwise assisting with the Competition.

Participating Team Registration :
3.Unless otherwise agreed or waived, each Participating Team will pay the Registration Fee within the time limit as indicated by the Competition Administrator.
4.The Registration Fees will not be refunded to the Participating Team if such request for cancellation is made on or after the date on which Negotiation Simulations are released. If the notice of cancellation is received by the Competition Administrator prior to the date on which the Negotiation Simulations are released then 50 per cent of the Registration Fees will be refunded provided all costs and charges for the transfer of such amount is borne by solely by such Participating Team.

Negotiation Simulations :
1.Four Negotiation Simulations will be sent to all Participating Teams before the start of the Competition at a date communicated by the Competition Administrator. All Participating Teams will receive General Information for the two Preliminary Rounds, the Semi-Final and the Final Rounds.
2.Each Negotiation Simulation will consist of General Information for all parties and Confidential Information for each party.
3.The Participating Teams will be assigned the party they will represent during each of the Preliminary Rounds in advance and each team will receive Confidential Information pertaining to the interests of the party they will be representing during the Preliminary Rounds at the same time as they receive General Information in respect of the four Negotiation Simulations described above.
4.The Confidential Information for the Semi-Final and the Finals Rounds will be provided one hour before commencement of the respective Negotiation Sessions.
5.The Participating Team will not disclose the Confidential Information to anyone else at any time between the receipt of this information and the conclusion of the Competition, save that disclosure by the Participating Teams during a Negotiation Session (to the extent they consider necessary or appropriate) is permitted.

Clarifications to the Negotiation Simulation :
Every effort will be made to ensure that the Negotiation Simulations are clear, however, if a Participating Team has any questions, clarifications or interpretations in relation to one or more Negotiation Simulations then these can be submitted to the Competition Administrator within one month from the date of release of the Negotiation Simulations.

Interpretation of the Negotiation Simulation :
Whilst the Participating Teams are not allowed to create new facts, the Negotiation Simulations are subject to reasonable interpretation and the Participating Teams may draw reasonable conclusions from them. Whether a Participating Team’s interpretation is reasonable is a matter entirely within the discretion of the Judges.
Failure to stay within a reasonable interpretation of the Negotiation Simulation may result in a Penalty in accordance with the Competition Rules. In case of any doubt in the understanding or interpretation of any matter concerning the Competition, the decision of the Competition Administrator will be final and binding.

Roles and Rounds :
1.In a Negotiation Session, each Participating Team will be represented by no more than two Eligible Students with one taking the role of “Counsel” and the other taking the role of “Client”.
2.Each Participating Team will be required to take part in two preliminary rounds, on the basis of which the Participating Team will proceed to the Semi-Final Rounds. For the

Note :
Preliminary Rounds, the Participating Team will ensure that the two Eligible Students switch the roles of client and counsel between themselves such that both the Eligible Students get an opportunity to take the role of client and counsel.

Time Limits :
In the Preliminary Rounds, each Negotiation Session will consist of 60 minutes, a break-up of which is as follows :
1.40 minutes for the actual negotiation;
2.10 minutes (5 minutes per Participating Team) for questions from or feedback by the Judges; and
3.10 minutes for the Judges to score the Participating Teams and their Negotiation Plan.

In the Semi-Final and the Final Rounds, each Negotiation Session will consist of 90 minutes, a break-up of which is as follows :
1.60 minutes for the actual negotiation;
2.20 minutes (10 minutes per Participating Team) for questions from or feedback by the Judges; and
3.10 minutes for the Judges to score the Participating Teams and their Negotiation Plan (if relevant).

The Judges will have complete discretion to :
1.alter the restriction on time limits set out in Rules 3 and 4 above; and
2.impose a Penalty for failing to adhere to time limits for the actual negotiation prescribed herein.

Negotiation Plan :
1.Each Participating Team shall submit a negotiation plan (the “Negotiation Plan”) for each Negotiation Session in the Preliminary Rounds, in accordance with this Rule
2.The Negotiation Plans will contain a case analysis evaluating the respective strategic strong points and weak points of each party, their respective needs and interests, their respective BATNAs, and their respective objectives and goals during the Negotiation Sessions.
3.A Negotiation Plan must strictly conform to the following general requirements. Non-conformity may attract negative marking in a manner that the Competition Administrator will deem fit.

A Negotiation Plan must :
1.only be printed on a plain white A4 paper with black ink;
2.be no more than two pages long (excluding a front cover and back cover);
3.only use the following format : Times New Roman, size 12, single line spacing, 1 inch margin (no text must be placed within this margin of the page, other than the page number); and
4.not use footnotes.
4.The Negotiation Plans for all Preliminary Rounds Negotiation Simulations must be submitted to the Competition Administrator by email on or before the Submission Date. Failure to comply with the Submission Date deadline will attract penalty.
5.The Participating Teams will not be permitted to modify their Negotiation Plans after the submission to the Competition Administrator.
6. The Participating Teams are not required to provide a hardcopy of the Negotiation Plans. The Competition Administrator will provide printouts of the Negotiation Plans of each Participating Team and will ensure that the copies of the Negotiation Plans reach the Judges of the corresponding round.
7. Subject to any penalty levied, the score received for a Negotiation Plan will count towards that Participating Team’s overall score in the specific Negotiation Session.

Judges :
NLU Delhi and HSF will be responsible for selecting the Judges for the Competition and for allocating them to a Negotiation Session in each round of the Competition. Every attempt will be made for the Participating Teams to face different Judges in each round however due to limited availabilities this might not always be possible.

Judging Criteria :
2.The Judges will evaluate and score the performance of the Participating Teams according to the judging criteria (the “Judging Criteria”) which will include the following :
1.the Negotiation Plan (for the Preliminary Rounds);
2.opening statement;
3.team work;
4.building relations with the other party;
5.generation of creative solutions; and
6 analysis of interests and answering of questions during the feedback session.
3.The Participating Teams are encouraged to act in the best interests of the party they represent during a Negotiation Simulation. It is not necessary that the Participating Teams reach a settlement during the Negotiation Session.

Awards :
1.The Competition will involve the following :
1.Winner’s Trophy : to be awarded to the Participating Team having the highest score in the Final Round of the Competition, which will include a cash prize;
2.Runner-up Trophy : to be awarded to the Participating Team having the lower score in the Final Round of the Competition, which will include a cash prize;
3.Best Speaker : to be awarded to the individual who has received the highest score in the Preliminary Rounds, which will include a cash prize; and
4.Best Negotiation Plan : to be awarded to most innovative and technically sound Negotiation Plans for the Preliminary Rounds.
5.Certificate of Participation : to be awarded to each member of the Participating Team.

Dress Code :
Each member of the Participating Team will be dressed in formals for the duration of the Competition.

For More Details :https://www.indianjobtalks.in/uploads…2014-Rules.pdf