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Laboratory for Advancing Dispute Resolution Skills

From the Dispute Resolution Institute at Mitchell Hamline School of Law

Meso Mystery

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Resources > Meso Mystery

Duration: 40 - 60 minutes plus debrief

NextGen: Yes 

Teaching Notes: Yes

Skills: ADR | Negotiation 

Skill Levels: Basic | Intermediate 

Type of Resources: Simulation 

Subjects: Contracts | Doctrinal Subjects 

Modality: Both Online and In-Person

Participants: 2

Meso Mystery 

Marjorie Corman Aaron 

 

This is a two-party, multi-issue negotiation between an author and the acquisitions editor for a publisher. Neither party has a great BATNA; they very much want to reach an agreement. Both parties anticipate the negotiations will involve royalty rates (likely separate rates for print books and e-books) and a possible cash advance to the author, facilitating the earlier completion of the manuscript. For each issue, the parties’ confidential information as to acceptable ranges creates a ZOPA. The distinctive aspect of this simulation is that it’s designed to explore whether multi-issue negotiations are better undertaken with a strategy to offer alternative equivalent packages, to begin with, an initial package that includes favorable anchor points on each issue, or to negotiate each issue separately.

Mesopotamian Mystery: Teaching Note (PDF)

Mesopotamian Mystery: Confidential Information for Acquisitions Editor, People’s Publishing (PDF)

Mesopotamian Mystery: Confidential Information for Author, Professor Daniels (PDF)

 

Laboratory for Advancing Dispute Resolution Skills Teaching

Dispute Resolution Insitute at Mitchell Hamline School of law

875 Summit Avenue, Saint Paul, MN 55105-3076 | [email protected]

© 2025 Mitchell Hamline School of Law in affiliation with Hamline University.