The Art and Science of Witness Interviews

This program covers techniques and suggestions for successful witness interviews or client intake interviews. A summary of psychological techniques is included, and the lecture is especially beneficial to paralegals working in litigation or as jury consultants, counselors, social workers, or mediators. Crisis intake professionals, law enforcement professionals, rape counselors and legal advocates will also benefit, as well as personnel/human resource directors, insurance specialists, and insurance adjustors/investigators. The lecture will include guidelines for using interview skills to enhance career development, and handouts will include outlines for designing a witness interview questionnaire with suggestions for customizing the questionnaire to your particular field of interest.

What past participants have said:

I liked receiving helpful reading material. The speakers were knowledgeable, and I especially enjoyed all the personal experiences.

Elizabeth Nellis’s paralegal career began in 1977 with public sector work for Legal Aid of Western Oklahoma where she completed the Legal Services Corporation Fundamental Skills and Advocacy Training in Washington, D.C. in 1979 and graduated in 1982 from the Paralegal Studies Program at the University of Oklahoma Law Center. While working for the Office of the General Counsel at Phillips Petroleum Company and subsequently two large civil firms in Tulsa, Oklahoma she began to specialize in massive Federal multi-district antitrust cases as well as local district cases involving the oil and gas industry. Before the major downturn in 1987, which precipitated her freelance career, Ms. Nellis attended the Institute of Paralegal Studies Trial Preparation and Evidence course in Dallas, Texas (1984). For nearly twenty years she worked as an independent contractor in a variety of legal environments on projects ranging from a few days to several years and as varied as sole practitioners and the Domestic Violence Intervention Service.
Having been a member of NALA since the early 1980’s she became a CLA in 1998, in 2002 attended The Institute--Social Security Disability in Savannah, Georgia and in 2003 she received the NALA Affiliates Award. In 2005 she co-presented “The Art and Science of Witness Interviews” at the NALA Member Exchange program at the annual convention which she will now present on NALA Campus LIVE! In spring, 2007, she earned her ACP designation specializing in Social Security Disability and was elected to the NALA Board of Directors as Director of Region IV (Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana). Ms. Nellis was a Charter Member of the Tulsa Association of Legal Assistants in 1982, she has served as a two-term Past President, five-term Past Parliamentarian, two-term Past Historian as well as Past Chairperson of Law Day, Community Law Fair and Tulsa Legal Expo and is still an active member. Ms. Nellis was one of the Founders of the Oklahoma Paralegal Association in 1984, served as Director of the Northeast Region and is still active in the organization. Ms. Nellis has served on paralegal program advisory boards of Rogers State College in Claremore, Oklahoma, Rose State College in Midwest City, Oklahoma, Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma and Tulsa Community College. Ms. Nellis also was a member of the Standing Committee on Legal Assistants when the Oklahoma Bar Association first initiated that program. She has devoted years of charitable service to Neighbor for Neighbor, the Child Abuse Network and Tulsa Lawyers for Children.

Ms. Pace has had extensive experience as a litigation paralegal with the Atkinson, Haskins Firm and Conner and Winters in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She is a past President of the Tulsa Association of Legal Assistants and has served on the TALA Board as the Historian and the NALA Liaison. She became a member of NALA in 1994. She achieved her CLA designation in 1998. She obtained her Associate's Degree in Legal Studies from Tulsa Community College and later served on TCC's Adjunct Faculty in the Legal Assistant Program, co-teaching a class in Medical Records Analysis. Currently, Ms. Pace is the Liability Insurance Coordinator for Saint Francis Health System in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

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