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Searching for a paralegal can be a challenge. You want a paralegal who can keep up with the pace of your law firm, and still be able to perform under pressure. Here’s what an exceptional paralegal is going to need.

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The Hard Skills

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Excellent Writing and Organizational Skills

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To effectively prepare reports and legal documentation for cases, law firms must sift through a mountain of paperwork. In order to do so, a strong command of spelling, punctuation, paragraph structure, and written communication is essential.

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Organizational Skills

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The importance of organization cannot be overstated for paralegals. Given the sheer volume of documents, evidence, and deadlines that they must manage, meticulous organization is essential to ensure that no critical information falls through the cracks.

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Good Level of Perfectionism & High Level of Professionalism

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Effective case preparation demands a meticulous balance of accuracy and precision, with a healthy dose of perfectionism to ensure success.

Accuracy and precision are required to properly prepare for a case. The right dose of perfectionism is almost required. A good paralegal will guarantee all the critical pieces that conform the case are gathered.

Everything is flawlessly organized, all the people in the case are informed and confirmed about their times, and date and place of their court hearings and trials, and nothing is mixed up, misplaced, or left out.

Professionalism is required in any industry, but the paralegal needs to emphasize it.

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The Soft Skills

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A good paralegal will have the hard skills mentioned above. Even if they are not perfect, they can also be learned and honed on the job. Someone is still needed to handle the extra load that comes with being a paralegal – which is the fast-paced dynamic of the law firm. This is where the soft skills come in. We need someone who

• Doesn’tpanic and can think out problems under pressure
• Intellectuallycurious and doesn’t just push paper to desk
• Thinkcreatively about solving a client’s problem
• Anticipate what is needed before the attorney needs it
• Can use technology as a resource

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