Shelly Skeen

Shelly Skeen (pronouns: she/her) is a Senior Attorney for Lambda Legal, the oldest and largest national legal organization committed to achieving the full recognition of civil rights for lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and everyone living with HIV.

With twenty years of experience as a practicing attorney, Shelly brings to Lambda Legal her experience as a seasoned litigator, mediator, trial advocacy instructor, and appellate practitioner.  Shelly has served as the Chair, Vice Chair, and Council Member of the LGBT Law Section for the State Bar of Texas and President and Vice-President of the Dallas LGBT Bar Association.  She has been a frequent speaker and author on a variety of LGBT related topics, including the retroactivity of Obergefell, First Amendment, public accommodations laws, and LGBTQ family law and estate planning.  Shelly has served on boards of nonprofits, including as a founding member of, and Co-Chair for the Policy & Advocacy Committee for the “Coalition for Aging, LGBT” and for “Legal Aid of Northwest Texas.”  Shelly has been involved in Texas-based Name and Gender Marker Change Legal Clinics, organized numerous fundraising and volunteer events, and is currently serving a three year term on the State Bar of Texas CLE Committee.  Last year, she earned her LL.M. from UCLA School of Law with specializations in Constitutional Law and Law and Sexuality (LGBTQ Law).