Article Title: a Conversion With Edwin J. Skeen
| Publication year | 2001 |
| Pages | 06-0 |
| Citation | Vol. 2001 No. 06 Pg. 06-0 |
06-0 (2001). Article Title: A Conversion With Edwin J. Skeen
June, 2001
Article Title: A Conversion With Edwin J. Skeen
Author: Contact Information
Article Type
The Young Lawyer
Article
Editor's Note:In honor of
the 70th year of the Utah State Bar, the Bar Journal is
presenting brief portraits of some of the most senior members
of the Bar, particularly those whose admission to practice
law in Utah predates the formation of the Utah State Bar in
1931.
Edwin J. Skeen was born January 2, 1906 in Ogden, Utah, the
second of five children and the only son of Utah lawyer
Jedediah D. Skeen. Twenty-three years later, he was admitted
to practice law in Utah. Now age 95, Mr. Skeen is one of only
three living members of the first class admitted to the Utah
Bar
As a boy, Mr. Skeen's family moved from Ogden to Salt
Lake City, where he worked as a farm hand on his family's
property. He graduated from the L.D.S. High School in 1923
and went on to the University of Utah, earning a
Bachelor's degree in philosophy with a minor in
mathematics. His outstanding academic performance gained him
admission to Stanford University Law School in 1926, where he
excelled, despite a full load of classes, a correspondence
course from the University of Utah, and work at odd jobs to
earn money. After his first year at Stanford, the University
of California, Berkeley Law School offered Mr. Skeen a
scholarship, which he accepted, and completed his legal
education there.
At Berkeley, Mr. Skeen's impressive grades earned him a
position as a staff member of the California Law Review. He
wrote a Law Review article on commercial arbitration, which
was accepted as his thesis for a doctoral degree. He
graduated from Berkeley with a doctor of jurisprudence degree
(similar to a masters in law) in 1929.
Upon returning to Utah, Mr. Skeen was admitted to practice
law in the state on October 14, 1929, and began working at
his father's law firm, doing routine legal work. The
practice of law at that time was not particularly lucrative
because of the Great Depression. Businesses were closing
foreclosures were routine, and the entire country was in a
financial panic. The father and son stayed in business by
representing debtors in foreclosures on farms, ranches, and
homes. The Skeens took cases for a $10.00 retainer,
recovering the remainder of their fee only if they...
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