The Soft Skills Every Paralegal Needs

Hard skills can be taught in school – things like speaking a foreign language, earning a degree or certificate, or the ability to type efficiently. Soft skills are more complicated to master. Examples of soft skills are critical thinking, problem solving, communication, and flexibility. A valedictorian may lack a necessary soft skill for a role, and this could be the deciding factor of hiring someone else. In this edition of The Paralegal Voice, host Vicki Voisin invites Ann L. Atkinson, ACP and Elizabeth H. Nellis, ACP to discuss the necessary soft skills and specific programs where paralegals can learn them.

Atkinson is the president of the National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA). She is an Advanced Certified Paralegal in the public finance department of her firm, Kutak Rock LLP. Bringing significant experience to the table, Atkinson has been a paralegal for more than thirty years.

Nellis is an Advanced Certified Paralegal with NALA. Her work is concentrated in private practice and litigation. She is a co-founder of the Oklahoma Paralegal Association and is a member of the Professional Development Committee for NALA.

Special thanks to our sponsors NALA and ServeNow.