Every year in law schools across the country, each new generation of future lawyers learn to reproduce the mistrust that is the great tragedy of our individualistic and isolating society by learning that the purpose of legal agreements, or contracts, is to protect you from the Other, that stranger at arm’s length who is out to exploit you for his or her own self-interest. Stewart Levine begins from the exact opposite premise–that the purpose of agreement is to build a bridge to the Other and to realize your common aspiration for connection. Writ large, this idea would revolutionize the study and practice of law and help to realize our spiritual nature as social beings in pursuit of mutual affirmation.”

The subject matter of your presentation and the thought-provoking interaction required during your sessions will be resources used by attendees throughout their careers.

The model provides a helpful road map in dealing with difficult internal office relationships, disputes, personnel problems.

Several years ago, I attended Stewart Levine’s seminar and found that the principles he models are both effective and practical. In my job, I am asked to review contracts that others have sent us. I often find that key elements have been missed in the negotiation process and, therefore, are not reflected in the document. By combining our HeartMath(R) techniques with Stewart’s model, I have been able to help folks get more clarity before writing an agreement and create an outcome that everyone feels good about. It’s made my job easier and more fun!

Thank you for presenting such an excellent program to the Defense Research Institute. You lead a roomful of legal know-it-alls to a foolproof technique for avoiding the unnecessary communication problems that get in the way of achieving mutually satisfying resolutions of conflict. This was useful in representing our clients in negotiations and mediations, and in “negotiating” the quicksand and minefields of unnecessary strife within our offices. You showed us with timely and entertaining examples how to reacquire the lost art of LISTENING. After putting your advice into daily practice, I find I am getting along better at the office with staff, at home with my teenagers, and at the courthouse with clients and adversaries alike. Thank you so much for sharing your insight and wisdom.

Refreshingly original and insightful. An easy to understand and universally applicable road map to problem-solving.

A book that will have value for everyone who seeks more to function effectively in society. Getting to Resolution will make it easier to use energy productively that would otherwise be wasted in confrontation.

His plan will go a long way to reducing the stress involved in collaborating with others and achieving a resolution which all parties find acceptable. A must read.

Stewart’s book reminds us how agreements pervade every aspect of our life, and provides the reader with a clear roadmap to more effective agreement making. After practicing law for 25 years, both as a trial lawyer and a General Counsel, I never imagined that a book about agreements could be such a refreshing and enjoyable read! I recommend this book to all lawyers seriously interested in obtaining greater insight and understanding of how to turn conflict into agreement.

Stewart Levine provides very useful tools for lawyers and clients who want to prevent and manage FUTURE conflicts by addressing PRESENT differences. His models will help people forming new collaborations deal more effectively with differences of perspective, and the many unknowns of a partnership, so that they can work together to create a stronger partnership, prevent hostility, and better manage conflicts that surface..

Most books on legal subjects are efficient, dry and erudite. Stewart’s book uses the heart to inform the mind. What results is an enduring work that teaches a common sense process for reaching sustainable agreements in our business lives and personal relationships.

In this wise and humane book, Stewart Levine makes it clear once and for all that our standard approaches to building agreements must change. More than that, he provides the tools — both philosophical and practical — for individuals and institutions to transform their approaches and in so doing build a better world.

Stewart has distilled the best of the contracts process, then stretched it, deepened it, broadened it. I can imagine that, because of this book, many artists and lovers and business people, etc. will take time to ponder such questions as “What do we want to create? What do we need from each other to make that happen?” When they do so, they will find that The Book of Agreement offers wise counsel on how to craft agreements that come from the heart, the soul and the best minds of all parties. As they fulfill their agreements, they will spread a lot more peace and joy in the world. A world where people live and work from a base of vision and mutual respect. That’s the kind of world I want to live in, and this book goes a long way towards making that happen. Thank you, Stewart Levine.

The Book of Agreement is impressive and passionate. Levineâ??s prescriptions created a new set of eye-glasses. You can benefit from his perspectives on covenant and conflict at home and office. Give this book to friends, family and colleagues. They might be ready to try something different.

This year I volunteered to be Special Curriculum Coordinator within the Education Department of my church and saw a need for a standard agreement that would reflect the vision, intent, and promises for our events and workshops. I drafted some standard provisions and customize each agreement for the negotiated terms. Feedback has been very positive from the senior minister, staff, speakers, and other volunteers, and we now have greater consistency and professionalism as a result. Thought you might appreciate knowing about this application in a vibrant and loving community of those dedicated to spiritual growth and action.