How to ... Be a better negotiator

Sarasota attorney Jennifer Compton learned a lot about the secrets of being a stellar negotiator early in her career.

The case pitted an ID theft victim against three credit agencies. Compton's side, the credit-reporting firms, was prepared to settle for $8,000, with some wiggle room. The other side — Compton thought, based on pre-mediation posturing — wanted nothing less than $1 million. The negotiating session ended 13 hours later, Compton recalls, with two empty Kleenex boxes, a settlement agreement for $12,000, and, most significantly, a verbal apology from the agencies.

The ID theft victim, Compton learned, really only sought a voice. “She wanted the cathartic experience of telling her story,” says Compton, a partner at Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, with a specialty in labor and employment law. “She needed them to say they understood how traumatic this was.”