Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Key definition

Style definition

What does Style mean? In legal practice, a style is a precedent or template for a document, used as a model when drafting similar documents (for example, contracts, deeds, pleadings, affidavits, company resolutions and wills). The term is descriptive rather than statutory; it is widely used in Scotland and understood across England and Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland, where ‘precedent’ is more common. A style typically provides boilerplate wording, standard clauses and optional alternatives (often shown in square brackets), sometimes with drafting notes. Styles appear in firm house-style collections and published style books or formbooks. Practitioners must adapt any style to the client’s facts, transaction, forum...

The Human Element in Legal Negotiations: Understanding Styles, Managing Emotions, and Handling Unfair Tactics

Published by a LexisNexis Practice Management expert

Practice notes

When stepping into any negotiation, whether it’s a multimillion-pound deal or sorting the office coffee rota, there are two primary elements to weigh: the negotiation’s structure and stages, and the human aspect, ie emotions and negotiation style. This Practice Note focuses on the latter. See Practice Note: The structure of a negotiation for guidance on the former.

The human element of negotiations

When faced with a negotiation, we often experience mixed feelings, eg fear, excitement and anxiety, shaped by how past discussions have played out. A negotiation is not solely about process—a skilled negotiator also considers the other party’s style and natural tendencies, adapting their tactics in response. There is no single perfect negotiator, as different situations call for different strengths. Nonetheless, successful negotiators commonly display the following traits:

Patient — They accept they may not secure everything in one sitting.
Creative — They keep searching for alternative ways to meet everyone’s requirements.
Flexible — They adjust to shifts in the market and the mood around the table.
Inquisitive — They ask lots of questions.

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Beth Pipe , FCIPD

OnLive Learning

Beth is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (FCIPD) and has spent over 25 years specialising in Learning and Development. During that time she has worked across a broad variety of different industries and has, for the past 15 years, worked closely with a number of well known law firms; this has involved putting in to place systems and structures to encourage, enable and track the effectiveness of learning activities. Adept at face to face course delivery, and always enjoying excellent feedback, Beth is also accomplished at online delivery and created OnLive Learning in response to the challenges presented by the 2020 Covid-19 restrictions.Beth has written extensively for LexisNexis on subjects such as Performance Management, Managing Change and Stress Management. Away from her training delivery she is a published author writing about local history, hiking, wildlife and the outdoors and is...

Web page updated on 22/05/2026

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