Is a Vertex Lit Soft Particle shader possible?

The question is pretty self explanatory. I am currently using the built-in vertex lit particle shader, but where the particles intersect with the ground and other geometry is glaringly obvious. Not cool. Is there any way to add the soft particle factor to the vertex lit shader? I don't know much about shader programming. In fact, I'd be willing to pay someone who can help me figure this out.