ABOUT THE ADVANCED COURSE
(No prior legal training is required)

What You Will Learn

Our Advanced Course is a five-day comprehensive arbitration advocacy-training program in which you will learn the vital skills for preparing winning post-hearing briefs.  We will train you on how to use persuasive writing devices, employ proper styles and formats, organize compelling argumentation, and integrate standards for labor contract interpretation into forceful briefs.  You will learn how to structure precise contract interpretation issues, develop convincing factual statements, write clarifying position statements, disassemble opponent’s arguments, and compose powerful conclusions.    You will prepare and present a contract interpretation case and write the post-hearing brief.  (To view course content—Click Here)  

Who Should Attend

Advocates who have attended our Basic Course or who have considerable labor arbitration experience should attend this training.  This includes labor relations professionals, human resource professionals, union representatives, labor/management attorneys, and those who participate in the grievance process.  

Method of Instruction

Because enrollment is limited, we will train you in small groups.  Instructors will use the “how to” method of teaching. We will give you a comprehensive Advanced Course Manual.  You will initially participate in small group exercises and discussions followed by presenting a case and writing a brief.  Instructors will observe and analyze your arbitration presentation.    An instructor and a small group of the attendees will critically review your post-hearing brief.

Instructors

We have carefully selected our instructors for their training skills and extensive experience in labor arbitration.   Some of our instructors will participate in each course.  Their decades of practical experience will enhance the material contained in the course manual. (To view Instructors - Click Here)

ADVANCED COURSE CONTENT

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MONDAY (DAY 1)

INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE

·         Introduction of instructors & attendees
·         Course objectives
·         Materials and teaching methods
·         Schedule and assignments
·         Time management for the week
·          Small group assignments
·         Case assignments

OVERVIEW OF POST HEARING
BRIEF WRITING

·         Labor arbitration brief v. legal brief
·         Reasons for writing a brief
·         Reasons for not writing a brief
·         Filing the brief- traps to avoid

BRIEF FORMAT

·         Letter briefs
·         Full briefs
·         Elements of a full brief

PERSUASIVE WRITING DEVICES

·         Selection/ omission
·         Ordering
·         Repetition
·         Subordination
·         Word choice
·         Active voice
·         Concrete facts v. abstraction
·         Issue, rule, application, conclusion
·         Reasoning by analogy
·         Point headings
·         Deconstructing opponent’s argument

STANDARDS FOR INTERPRETING LABOR CONTRACTS

·         Clear & unambiguous
·         Objective v. subjective ambiguity
·         Causes of ambiguity
·         Interpretation when ambiguous
·         Legislation v. interpretation
·         Intent of the parties
·         Construing the agreement “as a whole”
·         Giving effect to all clauses
·         Not treating word as surplus
·         Implying words
·         Normal v. technical language
·         Dictionary definitions
·         Interpretation in a trade or technical sense
·         Consistency of meaning
·         Interpretation in light of the law
·         Construction in light of context
·         Avoiding absurd results
·         Expression of one thing is the exclusion of another
·         Of the same kind, class or nature
·         Specific v. general language
·         Avoiding a forfeiture
·         Custom and past practice
·         Construing language against the proposer
·         Industry practice
·         Pre-contract negotiations
·         Prior settlements
·         Reason and equity
·         Ancient interpretive maxims
·         External law
·         Handbook and manuals
·         Filling gaps in incomplete contracts
·         Good faith bargaining 

(Preparation time for arbitration)

  

TUESDAY (DAY 2)

WRITING THE BRIEF’S INTRODUCTION

·         Time, date & place of arbitration
·         Parties/ advocates
·         References to record

WRITING CONTRACT INTERPRETATION ISSUES

·         Establishing arbitrator boundaries
·         Broad v. narrow issue
·         Managing multiple issues
·         Elements of an effective issue
·         Utilizing facts to drive the decision
·         The “did-when” format
·         The “whether-when” format
·         The “under-does-when” format

WRITING THE FACTUAL STATEMENT

·        Establishing credibility
·         Selection/ omission of facts
·         Accuracy/ honesty/ completeness
·         Ordering the facts
·         Clarity/ forcefulness
·         Critiquing the facts 

WRITING THE POSITION STATEMENT

·         Purpose of position statement
·         Formulating the argument
·         Organizing the argument
·         Structure of position statement
Remedy
·         Critiquing the position

WRITING THE ARGUMENT

·         Arguing v. restating the evidence
·         Organizing the argument
·         Integrated v. script format
·         Burden of proof
·         Using standards of contract interpretation
·         Employing “issue, rule, application,       conclusion”
·         Interpreting facts
·         Linking to contract language
·         Arguing against opponent’s case
·         Deductive reasoning
·         Reasoning by analogy
·         Other arbitration awards
·         Fairness and equity
·         Witness credibility
·         Arguing in the alternative
·         Arguing from the transcript
·         Common sense
·         Arguing outcome/ remedy
·         Disassembling opposing argument

WRITING THE CONCLUSION

·         Importance of conclusion
·         Persuasive final statements
·         Stating the remedy

Preparation time for arbitration)

WEDNESDAY (DAY 3)

ARBITRATIONS OF CONTRACT INTERPRETATION CASES

·         Each attendee will be an advocate in a contract interpretation case. Some attendees will be arbitrators. Instructors will critique the presentations.

Cocktail party for attendees and guests

THURSDAY (DAY 4)

PREPARATION OF FULL POST-HEARING BRIEF

·         Each attendee will prepare a post-hearing brief

FRIDAY (DAY 5)  

PRESENTATION AND CRITIQUES
OF BRIEFS

·         Each participant will present their brief and receive critique from instructors

Course Concludes