GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
July 2022
Legislation Impact and Cultural Competency
and Respect for LGBTQ+ Individuals
Take a deep dive into hot topics with Shelly Skeen, an attorney specializing in Constitutional Law, as she discusses Anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and its impact on society, cultural competency, language and respect, transgender children, identity documents/"X" markers, the Dobbs decision, abortion, and what’s next for contraception and same-sex marriage. Join us for this informative CLE and have your questions addressed during the discussion.
Please forward your questions about the following topics to DAPA's Programs VP, Jill Spytman, at programs@dallasparalegals.org before the CLE:
1. Anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and its impact on society;
2. Cultural competency;
3. Language and respect;
4. Transgender children;
5. Identity documents/"X" markers;
6. The Dobbs decision;
7. Abortion access;
8. What’s next for contraception; and/or
9. Same-sex marriage.
Presented by Shelly Skeen, JD, LLM | Lambda Legal
Shelly L. Skeen, formerly of BFS Law Group, practiced complex commercial litigation, representing businesses across the country in commercial disputes in state and federal trial courts, appellate courts and in arbitrations. After graduating magna cum laude from law school, Shelly began her law practice as a briefing attorney for a Texas State Appellate Court. Shelly has been a certified mediator since 2001, earned a Diploma in International Arbitration, and achieved a “Fellow” designation from the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators in London (CIArb), making Shelly one of less than 475 lawyers in the U.S. at the time to hold the Fellow designation. Shelly also handled online free speech, business disparagement and defamation cases as well as probate and estate planning matters for individuals and families, including LGBT individuals and families.
Shelly has appeared before the U.S. Supreme Court; appeared successfully before the Texas Supreme Court; appeared before the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in Louisiana; the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals in Ohio; the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Illinois; United States District Courts in Texas, Michigan, and Illinois; and several Texas State Appellate Courts.
Shelly has served a Council Member, Vice President, and Chair of the LGBT Law Section for the State Bar of Texas, as the President of the Dallas LGBT Bar Association, and as a board member of nonprofits, including Legal Aid of Northwest Texas and the Coalition for Aging, LGBT, where she served as the Co-Chair of the Policy & Legislative Advocacy Committee.
Shelly is currently serving a second three (3) year term on the State Bar of Texas’ CLE Committee, after being appointed by two separate Presidents of the State Bar of Texas. Shelly is a frequent speaker and often cited author on LGBTQ+ legal issues, including the First Amendment, Public Accommodations, Marriage Equality, Employment, and Probate.
She is also adjunct faculty for the National Institute of Trial Advocacy where she teaches trial and deposition skills to lawyers, is an adjunct instructor for UNT School of Law where she teaches a course on LGBTQI+ Law, and has taught as a “Tudor” for the CIArb in its “Member” program in international arbitration.
In 2016, The Texas Bar College awarded Shelly The Franklin Jones Award for the Best Continuing Legal Education Article as voted by her peers. The LGBT Law Section also honored Shelly with its highest award, the Judge Black Award, for her work on behalf of the LGBTQI+ community.
Shelly is active in the local community where she performs volunteer work, has mentored night-time law students and high school students, and has served as an assistant city prosecutor. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, hiking, and reading.
In August of 2017, Shelly left the full-time practice of law to attend UCLA School of Law, where she earned an LL.M. in 2018, with specializations in both Constitutional Law and Law & Sexuality (LGBTQ Law). Shelly is now a Senior Attorney for Lambda Legal Defense & Education Fund, Inc. in Dallas, Texas and serves on the Board of the Juanita J.Craft Civil Rights House and Museum where she is the Chair of the Civil Rights Trial Committee.
This month's General Membership Meeting is sponsored by
Texas File
Clinton Ramey, Product Manager
clinton@TexasFile.com
(214) 705-6400
CLE Credit
1.0 hour of General paralegal CLE credit issued through DAPA
ZOOM MEETING INFO
The Zoom meeting details and link will be provided in your registration confirmation email and your event reminder email. Please make sure and add the event and Zoom link to your calendar.
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