If you hear about a high-profile court case in Russia involving celebrities, major businessmen, or politicians, there is a huge chance that Alexander Dobrovinsky is involved — one of the most famous and charismatic lawyers. For his ability to win the most hopeless cases and his tough style, he is often called the "devil's advocate."

The largest case in his practice was the lawsuit between two oligarchs over a plant on the Volga. The amount in dispute was an astronomical 73 billion rubles. Dobrovinsky's team of 20 lawyers worked continuously on this case for 3 years — and, of course, they won.

Three negotiation rules from Alexander Dobrovinsky:

Rule 1: Never send a person who makes the final decision to negotiations. If they are asked point-blank "yes or no," they will have to answer to save face. There should be an opportunity to pause for "approval."

Rule 2: Compromise is bad. Dobrovinsky considers compromise "all-season tires" (neither summer nor winter). Only your side should benefit; the rest doesn't matter.

Rule 3: If you want to end a meeting at any moment, meet on someone else's territory. It's hard to kick a guest out of your own office, but it's easy to leave someone with the words "sorry, time's up."

Bonus: How an ordinary chair brought a contract with Rosneft
Late 90s. Eight companies are fighting for a contract. Half an hour of tough negotiations, everyone gets up and leaves. Only Dobrovinsky carefully pushes his chair back into place, and also the two neighboring ones. The head of the company asks him to stay and gives him the contract. Why? "Because it's his meeting room — his home. The one who scatters chairs doesn't think about what he leaves behind."


Link to the full interview: Part 1 and Part 2

What negotiation hacks do you use? Write in the comments👇

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