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Essential Skills Every Paralegal Studies Student Should Master

Quick Highlights:

  • Legal research is one of the most important skills for paralegals.
  • Paralegals need to be skilled with legal software for managing documents, cases, and communications.
  • It is important to stay updated with legal changes through journals and conferences.
  • Successful paralegals are organized, manage their time well, and act ethically in all professional dealings.

Table of contents

Making the decision to pursue a degree in paralegal studies is an exciting decision. As a part of this degree field, you will learn about:

  • legal research
  • communication skills
  • legal documentation
  • legal writing

While working in the legal system can be demanding, the skills you develop during your studies will help you navigate your career with ease. 

Related:

One of the most important skills for paralegals is legal research. If you aren’t able to conduct legal research and perform legal writing tasks, you will struggle to maintain a job in the industry. Fortunately, there are a number of search engines that can make your legal research easier. 

  • CourtListener: This legal research tool is ideal if you want to find legal opinions for free. 
  • Fastcase: Students love Fastcase because of its immense law library. 
  • Legal Information Institute: This search tool includes a large legal encyclopedia and information about laws in the United States. 
  • Justia: If you want the latest legal summaries, check out Justia.
  • Caselaw Access Project: This is the site to go to for book-published case law. 
  • FindLaw: If you want a searchable database of Supreme Court decisions, visit FindLaw. 
  • Casetext: Thanks to advancements in technology, you can now get artificial intelligence (AI) assistance with doing your legal research. 

If you prefer flipping through documents by hand, you can always check out the legal section at your local college. Law schools have extensive libraries of legal cases, so these schools are an excellent place to go if you need to do legal writing or legal research. 

By learning legal writing skills, you can perform important tasks for your future employer. You can draft memos, briefs, and other important legal documents. 

Other than familiarizing yourself with legal writing, you also need to understand legal documentation and courtroom procedures. This type of knowledge helps the paralegal do their duties in helping an attorney, and it also saves the attorney time and energy. To learn these skills, you must understand the court procedures and the filing processes. In addition, you must know how legal documentation must be prepared.   

Once you have completed your paralegal studies, you may be expected to work in a federal or state court system. Because these systems have different legal documentation and procedures, it is important for you to become familiar with both court systems.

Communication Skills

What skills do paralegals need? While paralegal skill sets can vary from one job title to another, most paralegals will need to become effective communicators. In your normal day-to-day role, you will need to communicate with attorneys, clients, and court personnel. 

To improve your oral and written communication skills, there are a few things you can do. First, try joining a debate team or speech organization, such as Toastmasters International. This type of environment will give you an opportunity to practice your paralegal skill sets in front of an audience. You can also take interpersonal communications and other speech-related courses. 

To improve your written communication, you can take a class on business writing. College English classes are also a great way to improve the clarity, professionalism, and conciseness of your writing. 

Technology Proficiency

Another one of the most essential paralegal skills is your technology proficiency. As a paralegal, you will need to use legal software in order to manage cases, handle documentation, and e-file your cases. Because of the high risk of hacking and malware, it is important to have a solid understanding of cybersecurity practices. You have a legal duty to protect your client’s data privacy, so it is important to understand how these types of technology work. 

There are many different types of technology out there that paralegals can use. The following list includes the most common types. 

  • Document Management Software: With this kind of software, you can create, file, organize, and store old documents. In essence, it is like a file cabinet where you can easily store your files for future use. Unlike a storage cabinet, the documents can’t become lost or damaged over time. 
  • Client Intake Software: You can use this type of software to collect information from your clients when they first arrive at your firm. Instead of having to transcribe information by hand, you can capture important data using a link.
  • Case Management Software: This type of software helps you track the information in a client’s case. It allows you to manage updates in real time and to collaborate with other staff members. 
  • Billing Software: Through billing software, you can automate the billing process. Paralegals are often involved in generating, collecting, and reviewing bills. Instead of doing this with each bill individually, you can use billing software to send out bills faster. 
  • E-Signature Software: Paralegals have to get a lot of forms signed during a typical day at work. Thanks to e-signature software, getting signatures is incredibly easy. This kind of software allows you to sign, collect, and store legal documents with the click of a mouse.

Time Management and Organization

In addition to hard skills, there are also important soft skills for paralegals that you should learn. Time management and organization are two key qualities that successful paralegals are good at. You must be able to manage multiple tasks and deadlines at the same time. Some deadlines, like court filing requirements, can determine whether you can proceed with a case, so it’s important to be organized. 

Additionally, you must be organized when it comes to maintaining your case files. Attorneys must be able to find information when they need it, so it is up to you to track important information and dates. 

Client Interaction and Ethical Conduct

One of the essential paralegal skills is ethics. While technology and communication skills will help you do your job, ethics are required for you to maintain your certification. A paralegal is held to certain legal ethics, so it is important that you understand and follow these guidelines. Each day, you must act with empathy, confidentiality, and professionalism in all of your client interactions. 

Most likely, your paralegal studies will cover ethics in an entire class or subsection. If not, you can check out NALA’s Code of Ethics. This code requires you to adhere to the highest standard of legal ethics in order to maintain your certification.  

Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving

Another one of the top skills for paralegals is critical thinking. By being able to think critically, you can solve problems and create new solutions. When you can think on your feet, you will have an easier time finding an answer to your issue. Some people are naturally good at problem-solving skills. Fortunately, this is a skill you can hone if you aren’t naturally good at it already.  

As a part of their day-to-day work, paralegals must evaluate case facts and legal precedents. Each case is slightly different, so you must be able to tell if a precedent applies to a similar case or if you need to find a new precedent. This type of critical thinking can be challenging, so it is important to develop this skill as much as possible. 

Often, a paralegal studies program will include coursework on problem-solving skills and critical thinking. You will be required to take classes on legal research, which will give you a chance to learn about finding and using precedents. Additionally, you can partner with a legal mentor, so you can have someone to turn to whenever you need advice. 

Continuous Learning and Adaptability

Unlike some industries, the legal system is constantly changing. As new case law is created, you will have to learn new precedents. Court procedures can change, and the type of technology you use may get updated as well. Because of this, it is important to learn new technology as it comes out. 

To keep your job, you have to be adaptable and willing to keep learning. As a part of this goal, you should sign up for legal journals and newsletters. These publications can help you stay updated on the latest legal trends and laws. If you are still enrolled in a college or university program, you can often access legal journals and publications for free through your university library.  

In addition, you should sign up for conferences and continuing education courses whenever you can. Your paralegal certification most likely requires continuing education courses. Instead of viewing these as another requirement on your to-do list, take advantage of the courses and learn as much as you possibly can.

Learn What It Takes to Become a Paralegal 

If you are interested in a career as a paralegal, there are many skills you need to learn. Beyond communication skills and legal research, you must be talented at legal writing and critical thinking. Additionally, you must know how to use modern technology for legal documentation and case tracking. 

Through the right paralegal studies and skills, you can thrive in your future career. By integrating your technical knowledge with your soft skills, you can improve your paralegal abilities and become more competitive in the job market.