Law Have Mercy!
Law Have Mercy! isn’t just about the law anymore—it’s about life, business, health, and everything that sparks curiosity. Join Personal Injury Attorney Chaz Roberts as he dives into candid conversations that mix legal insights with lifestyle tips, entrepreneurial wisdom, and personal growth. From breaking down complex legal issues in simple terms to exploring the challenges and triumphs of health, business, and beyond, Chaz brings his unique perspective and passion to every episode.
Whether you're here to learn, laugh, or find inspiration, Law Have Mercy! has something for everyone. Just remember: the opinions of our guests are their own, and nothing on this podcast is legal advice or creates an attorney-client relationship—it’s all about entertainment, exploration, and empowerment. Let’s make it fun!
Law Have Mercy!
Three Powerful Strategies to Win Any Negotiation from a Trial Attorney
Negotiation is a fundamental skill that impacts every area of life - from buying cars to asking for raises, from Facebook Marketplace haggling to Insurance Settlements. As an attorney with 16 years of experience, I've mastered the art of negotiation through thousands of high-stakes encounters, and today I'm pulling back the curtain on exactly how lawyers approach these situations.
The most powerful revelation? Everything in life is negotiable - even your Starbucks order. Most people enter negotiations unprepared, nervous, or quick to accept whatever's initially offered. This puts them at an immediate disadvantage against professionals who understand the psychological dynamics at play. Through real-world examples from both everyday scenarios and legal practice, I break down three game-changing strategies that will transform how you negotiate forever.
First, preparation creates leverage - the power to influence outcomes in your favor. When buying a car, knowing dealer quotas, financing alternatives, and optimal timing gives you immediate advantages before saying a word. Second, counterintuitively, the person who cares less wins the negotiation. The willingness to walk away shifts power dynamics dramatically in your favor, whether at a car dealership or during legal mediation. Finally, never accept the first offer - it's merely a placeholder to begin negotiations, yet surprisingly many people jump at initial proposals without pushback.
Try these techniques immediately in low-stakes environments to build your negotiation muscles. Practice at fast food restaurants, with your children, or in everyday interactions. The confidence and skills you develop will serve you throughout life, potentially saving or earning you thousands of dollars. And remember, if you're ever negotiating with insurance companies after an accident, having a lawyer who masters these strategies can make the difference between a token settlement and life-changing compensation. Call or DM me to put these powerful negotiation tactics to work for you.
You can watch most full episodes of Law Have Mercy on YouTube!
For more FREE legal tips, check out our social channels:
Instagram - @chazrobertslaw
Facebook - Chaz Roberts Law
TikTok - @chazrobertslaw
LinkedIn - Chaz Roberts
If you are in need of legal guidance, visit our website: https://www.chazrobertslaw.com/
This show is co-produced by Carter Simoneaux of AcadianaCasts Network, Chaz H. Roberts of Chaz Roberts Law and Kayli Guidry Bonin of Beau The Agency, and Laith Alferahin.
Hey, this is Chaz back with another solo episode of Law have Mercy. Everybody negotiates. Whether you're buying a car, asking for a raise, negotiating on Facebook Marketplace for that lovely sofa you've always wanted or, in my world, settling a case, negotiation is a part of life. Today, I'm gonna teach you how to negotiate like a lawyer. It's been over a month since I published a podcast and I appreciate you sticking around, man.
Speaker 1:We've had a super busy summer. Luke was playing baseball all-star all summer long. Our firm has been absolutely slammed doing good work. We've had tremendous success. I've had new employees. Coincidentally, their family, my little sister and my little cousin both started with the firm. They're killing it. They have great energy. They actually have a TikTok channel called Bugging the Boss B-U-G-G-I-N-G-T-H-E-B-O-S-S. One word Check it out. It's hilarious. They crack me up. They make a video a day. It is awesome. Trust me, you will not regret it.
Speaker 1:My family also went on a trip at the end of summer to Costa Rica and whoa, what a great trip. Adventure, but relaxing. We snorkeled, we rode horses, we went ziplining. We snorkeled, we rode horses, we went zip lining, we went tube through rapids. I saw a sloth in the wild. It hit so many buckets and it was such a great trip to end summer. I highly recommend Costa Rica. We stayed at the Westin. I can give you the travel details. I'm telling you. You can go to Central America and have this adventure and great food for the price of going to Destin for the week. Reach out to me, I'll be happy to share those travel details. It was great. So enough about me, let me. Let me teach you something Negotiation.
Speaker 1:You need to know that everything is negotiable in life. Everything is negotiable, even Starbucks. Believe it or not. I have negotiated at Starbucks for upgrades and free stuff. Why do I do it? Because I want to practice that negotiation muscle and actually I encourage you at the end of this episode to go, try to negotiate something at Starbucks or a fast food restaurant where you think that there's nothing negotiable. Trust me, you can get things. So the problem with most people is they enter into a negotiation unprepared, nervous or just quick to accept whatever's thrown at them. Lawyers can't afford to do that. My clients don't deserve that. Negotiation is part of our DNA and it is very vital to what we do every day. So in this episode I'm going to teach you three practical tips on how to negotiate like a lawyer. Not theory, not fluff actual strategies that you can use in your everyday life, and I'm going to show you how I use them in my practice fighting for my clients. I'm going to give you real world examples and I'm going to teach you how I do it.
Speaker 1:Number one preparation is leverage. Prepare, prepare, prepare, arm yourself with facts and then you have leverage. Let's start with what is leverage. It's simply the power to influence the outcome in your favor. Think of those old school brass scales you've seen in a law office. I know I have them in my office where you have. It's like a balance beam. Right, it's like a brass scale. You want as much sand on your side of the scale as possible so that it tips in your direction. It's not about who talks louder, who's more aggressive, who bluffs better. Leverage comes from being prepared, more prepared than the other side. So most people think negotiation just starts at the table. Lawyers know it starts long before you get to the table. If you walk in armed with facts, you've already won half the battle.
Speaker 1:So the real world example let's talk about buying a car. Well, you need to know the facts. The best time to buy isn't Saturday afternoon when everyone's at the dealership and it's packed. The sweet spot is Monday or Wednesday afternoon. The lot is quiet, stack that with the end of the month quotas or end of the quarter quotas, end of the year quotas jackpot. Now how do I know that? Because I Googled it. I said when's the best time to buy a car. I arm myself with the facts. If you know that, plus you know how sales commissions work, turnover rates, or even knowing things like there's construction on the road in front of the dealership, I bet you that's cutting into their walk-in traffic. I bet you they're desperate to offload some cars right now because they need to meet their quota. These are arming yourself with facts.
Speaker 1:Now you have leverage before you step foot inside. If you're looking for a certain make and model of a vehicle, you want to know what those vehicles are going for at other dealerships. You need to know whether your bank will give you better financing terms than what they're going to give. So I'll call Chase Bank or Capital One Bank and I'll say hey, what are you giving on loans for used vehicles or new vehicles? And so now you know the interest rate. And so when the dealership tries to sell you on a certain loan. You know that that's not good enough. You need to know if you can buy your own warranty directly with the company for less money.
Speaker 1:You have leverage, so think about it. How much power do you have when the salesman says this is what the 2023 Tahoe is going for, this is what it's worth, and you reply. Actually, I've seen two other dealerships in Baton Rouge with less mileage on the 2023 Tahoe going for $3,000 less Silence. You're prepared and they know it. How bad do they want the sale? You know it's the end of the month, so let's see what happens. Isn't that so much more powerful than if you're just walking the lot aimlessly and not knowing any information on a Saturday afternoon? The same in law happens, right. So this is I'm showing you behind the curtain, I'm giving you all my secrets.
Speaker 1:But in law, when I walk into a mediation, I'm not just going over there and saying, hey, I want a million dollars. Saying, hey, I want a million dollars, I'm saying I know what other cases, like this one with a herniated disc, with a surgery, with a broken arm, with someone that's treated for 18 months I know what those cases have settled for. I know what the verdicts have said in every jurisdiction in the state of Louisiana. I know what the appellate courts are saying that injury is worth, and so we pressure the other side. We know that the insurance adjuster wants to settle the case before the end of the year. We know that the defense attorney is overworked and overwhelmed and wants to sell this case. I know that my witnesses are already subpoenaed for trial. I know that my treating doctor is on board and subpoenaed. I know that my opening statement PowerPoint presentation is already made and I'm ready to try the case. I'm ready.
Speaker 1:That's leverage. That's sand on my side of the scale. If I'm winging it, they can smell it. They can smell desperation. Preparation is the difference between walking in strong and walking in desperate. So here's the takeaway. Tip number one preparation builds leverage. The more you prepare, the fewer options the other side has to push you around. All right. Number two the person who cares less wins the negotiation Boy. Does that sound bad Boy? Does that sound bad? The person who cares less wins the negotiation. Negotiations like poker the person least attached to the outcome usually wins. If you're desperate, you've already lost. So I'm not saying that I don't want to settle the case for my client and give them life-changing money. I'm saying that I'm willing to walk away and try my case Back to the car lot If you act like you cannot leave that dealership without that car today.
Speaker 1:They've got you. They've got you. They'll hold firm. But if you're willing to walk away, suddenly they feel the pressure. That's when the deal gets better, because you have the power to walk away and go to another dealership. You have the power to drive to Baton Rouge or New Orleans or even Houston. Your car now is still fine and getting you around. You don't need that 2023 Tahoe today. So now back to tip number one. You have leverage because you care less. You don't care, you don't need it, you're not desperate.
Speaker 1:I see this. I love going to dealerships whenever I'm bringing in my car for service work and I just sit and I'll watch people. I can see when they walk in how desperate they are for a vehicle. And if I can see it and I don't sell cars for a living what do you think the salesmen see? What do you think the finance people see? This is what they do for a living. They are all commission-based. Their paycheck literally depends on you buying that car. They know how to read people and they get training and they go to classes. You got to act like you're whistling through the lot and without a care in the world because then they're scared. Now you got them, the deals get better.
Speaker 1:Let's talk about negotiating a salary at work with a new employer or asking for a raise. If you have other job opportunities on the table, you can negotiate more aggressively. If that's the only job you have and you've ever had, and you have no other opportunities with any other employer, you can't go work for yourself or whatever Employees can sense, that they can sense when you have no other options. If you say I want a $5 raise and you have the confidence to walk away if they don't give it to you because you have three other job offers, well, now you have leverage right. In my practice, this rule is gospel.
Speaker 1:I, like my clients, I believe in my cases I'm prepared to try them in front of a jury. That confidence means I don't need to settle at mediation. If the insurance company comes in weak, I'll walk. I've done it probably five times this year already. They bring in some BS money and I say who do you think you're talking to? This is disrespectful. I'm gone, but, but, but, but, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. I said, well, get your money up and then call me. If not, will you try the case? I'm willing to go to trial. I get more money every time If I'm desperate to settle and some lawyers, unfortunately, are desperate to settle because they can't try cases. They don't know how to try cases, or they actually need their money or the client needs their money. That's another thing. In a mediation, my client never needs the money. If my client shows weakness too, that they're desperate for the money, man, they care too much. They got to care less, you got to care less. So the takeaway tip number two the person who cares less in a negotiation wins. Be willing to walk away. Tip number three and I would think that this would be obvious, but I have seen it too many times in my life Never accept the first number. The first number in a negotiation is just a placeholder. You wouldn't believe how many people accept the first number.
Speaker 1:There's a famous scene in Seinfeld I love Seinfeld and Kramer was burned by hot coffee. This was kind of a play on the hot coffee topic with McDonald's at the time which was really popular and he hires this guy named Jackie. It's his attorney and he's kind of a Johnny Cochran figure. It's kind of a meme on Johnny Cochran. And they show the defense lawyers are real concerned about Kramer's burn from the coffee and they say, look, we're going to give him $50,000, and $50,000 in the early nineties was a lot of money. And so, and then they, they cut to Kramer and Jackie and and Jackie's telling him man, play it cool, play it cool. And Kramer's like man, I'm on board, I'm on board, I'm on board, I got you, I got you. And then they go into the lawyer's office and the lawyer the defense lawyers say we are prepared to give you all the free coffee you can drink for a lifetime at any location. And kramer jumps up and shakes his hand and says deal. And jack is just shaking head. He didn't even get to the 50,000. He took the first offer. Never take the first offer.
Speaker 1:That sticker price on the vehicle is just a number, it's just a placeholder, it's just to get the negotiation started. When insurance companies offer people who are unrepresented $500 or $1,000 for their case, you wouldn't believe how many people just jump on it. They might have been willing to pay $3,500 or you would have gotten a lawyer and your case might be worth $100,000, $200,000, a million, you don't know. People just jump on the first offer. Think about Starbucks. I mean I've even negotiated there. I'll ask maybe I'm not negotiating the price, but see if they'll honor the reusable cup discount when I forgot my cup. Or asking them to throw in the old bagel on the counter. Like I've done that, I exercise that muscle.
Speaker 1:Think about job offers Same deal. Employees build in room for negotiation If they want to offer you a dollar. See if you can negotiate $3 raise. Maybe you'll settle at two. Don't accept the first offer. I mean I've settled cases for six figures where their first offer was $6,000.
Speaker 1:When I go to a mediation, our number might be two and a half million. Well, they know that that's not gonna be. That's what it's gonna settle on. That's my first number. They know they read the same books I've read. They know that they're not gonna accept that. But their first offer might be $50,000. And we'll settle that case for $850,000.
Speaker 1:You don't know, I mean never accept the first offer. I can't believe how many people do and know that everything is negotiable. So look, in wrapping up there you have it Three ways to negotiate like a lawyer. Prepare more than anyone else, be willing to walk away and never accept the first number. Whether you're buying a car, negotiating a salary, settling a case, these principles work. And if you ever find yourself negotiating with an insurance company after a wreck, that's when you want a lawyer who knows how to play this game. These are just three tips.
Speaker 1:I'm a master in negotiating because I've been doing it for 16 years. Actually, I've been negotiating my whole life, if you ask my mom so we're experts at it. We'd be willing and able and it'd be an honor to help you through that process. If you've been in an accident, call or DM me. I'll put these strategies to work for you. I hope you enjoy the episode. I these strategies to work for you. I hope you enjoy the episode. I hope you learn from it. I hope you take away something. Start practicing. Go out and practice. Practice at starbucks, practice at mcdonald's. Practice and negotiating with your kids. Teach your kids how to negotiate. Enjoy the guys. See you on the next one.
