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Overview AI Webinar Summary

The Importance of Soft Skills for Legal Success

This webinar for lawyers combines insightful presentations, interactive discussions, and practical tools designed to address the challenges of legal practice. Participants will gain strategies they can immediately apply in their day-to-day work, with a focus on developing self-awareness, enhancing communication, and strengthening conflict resolution skills. These core competencies not only support professional effectiveness in client and colleague interactions but also promote long-term personal growth and resilience in the practice of law.

Topics covered include:

Professional Development Law Firm Management Law Practice

Duration of this webinar: 60 minutes

Originally broadcast: December 3, 2025 10:00 AM PT

Webinar Highlights

This webinar is divided into section summaries, which you can scan for key points and then dive into the sections that interest you the most.

00:00 Introduction

Rubens Tilkian, the speaker, is introduced as a lawyer with extensive experience in mediation and conflict management. Rubens emphasizes the importance of soft skills in legal practice, such as empathy, communication, and conflict resolution. He argues that these skills are crucial for building trust and effectively representing clients. Rubens shares his background and the services offered by his company, Virtus Conflict Solution. He stresses that developing soft skills can be transformative both professionally and personally.

06:13 Hard Skills vs. Soft Skills

Rubens discusses the distinction between hard skills and soft skills in the legal profession. He lists examples of hard skills, such as legal research, contract drafting, and case management. Soft skills like patience, empathy, and communication are highlighted as strategic assets in legal work. He explains that adaptability and collaboration are essential for high-performing legal teams. Rubens argues that conflict resolution is a leadership skill crucial for managing disagreements constructively. He poses a question about the relative importance of hard and soft skills for career success. Rubens suggests that soft skills are vital for long-term career advancement and effectiveness.

13:00 Developing Soft Skills

Rubens presents a statement emphasizing that hard skills secure jobs, but soft skills help maintain them. He argues that soft skills are crucial for navigating the evolving legal landscape, especially with AI advancements. Rubens introduces the Soft Skills Tracker, a tool to assess one's proficiency in soft skills. He stresses the transformative role of lawyers in bringing order and clarity to complex situations. Rubens highlights the importance of time management, conflict resolution, and a growth mindset. He encourages celebrating progress and fostering a respectful, collaborative work environment.

24:00 Managing Conflicts and Self-Awareness

Rubens explores common workplace conflicts and the role of soft skills in managing them. He emphasizes self-awareness as foundational for personal and professional growth. Rubens outlines benefits of self-awareness, such as emotional stability and better decision-making. He discusses the importance of authentic relationships and clear life goals. Rubens explains how self-awareness improves conflict management by reducing personal projections. He introduces the concept of internal and external conflicts, urging a shift in perspective to view conflicts as opportunities.

48:14 Understanding Perspectives and Communication

Rubens uses interactive exercises to illustrate how perspective influences conflict perception. He emphasizes the need to choose battles wisely and avoid unnecessary conflicts. He also uses exercises to demonstrate how different perspectives can lead to varied responses to the same situation. He highlights the importance of understanding different viewpoints to avoid prejudgment. Rubens concludes that respecting diverse viewpoints and backgrounds enhances communication and reduces conflict.

01:15:30 Communication Tools and Techniques

Rubens introduces the concept of personal world models and their influence on perception. He discusses the role of sensory channels and filters in shaping responses to external situations. Rubens advises lawyers to consider clients' values and beliefs when providing advice. He explains common cognitive filters like overgeneralization, distortion, and omission. Rubens emphasizes that understanding these concepts can enhance client communication and trust.

Please note this AI-generated summary provides a general overview of the webinar but may not capture all details, nuances, or the exact words of the speaker. For complete accuracy, please refer to the original webinar recording.

Speaker

Rubens Tilkian Founder and CEO
Vertus Conflict Solutions LLC

Rubens graduated in Law from Faculdades Metropolitanas Unidas, specialized in Corporate Law (LL.M. - Master of Laws) from INSPER, and completed a Post-Graduate Course in Law and Economics in Business from the Centro de Estudos de Direito Econômico e Social (CEDES). Read More ›

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