Shelly L Skeen

Biography

Shelly L. Skeen (pronouns: she/her) is the South-Central Regional Director for Lambda Legal. Lambda Legal is the oldest and largest national civil rights legal organization working for full and lived equality for LGBTQ+ people and people living with HIV through impact litigation, public policy advocacy and education. With nearly 25 years’ experience as a practicing attorney, Ms. Skeen is a seasoned litigator, appellate practitioner, mediator, and arbitrator. She holds a diploma in International Arbitration, has filed amici briefs in the U.S. Supreme Court and successfully appeared before the Texas Supreme Court.  Ms. Skeen has served as the Chair of the LGBTQ Law Section for the State Bar of Texas, President of the Dallas LGBT Bar Association, is a frequent speaker and author on LGBTQ+ legal issues and is adjunct faculty for National Institute of Trial Advocacy, the University of Texas School of Law and UNT Dallas College of Law. In 2016, the Texas Bar College awarded Ms. Skeen The Franklin Jones Award for the Best Continuing Legal Education Article, which addressed the retroactivity of Obergefell. Ms. Skeen has served on the CLE Committee of the State Bar of Texas for 7 years and is a frequent CLE Course Director.  In 2018, Ms. Skeen earned an LL.M. from UCLA School of Law, with specializations in Constitutional Law and Law & Sexuality.  Ms. Skeen was honored by the LGBTQ Law Section with its highest award, the Judge Black Award, for her work on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community and was recently named a “Living Legend” by the Dallas Bar Association.