Last week, Evan Skinner started working at our firm as a legal intern for the summer! He is a rising 2L at the University of Texas School of Law here in sunny Austin, Texas. So let’s get to know him!
The important stuff first.
1) What are your favorite books, movies, and tv shows?
My favorite book is probably A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. I don’t really have a reason for that choice, it’s just always stuck with me since the first time I read it in high school. Irving really has a knack for creating memorable characters, and I am always impressed by how Owen Meany manages to tell a coherent story over such a long time period without ever feeling like it’s skipped ahead. I also want to shout out The Ball Is Round by David Goldblatt, which is basically a comprehensive history of soccer around the world and its impact on society and culture; I’m a huge sports fan and politics nerd and The Ball Is Round is really incredible if you’re into both of those things and how they intersect.
As far as movies and TV shows, I like anything that’s funny. I like the classic mid-2000s comedies like Superbad, Dodgeball, and Step Brothers, and out of those I’d have to pick Superbad as my favorite movie. My favorite TV show is Bob’s Burgers, and it’s not close. I don’t think I’ve ever watched an episode of that show without laughing out loud multiple times. The dialogue and voice acting are always top-tier, and it manages to be consistently funny while also staying pretty heartwarming and non-cynical, which I think all of the best sitcoms do.
2) What kind of music do you like and what are your favorite bands?
I like to joke that my music taste is “a million miles wide and an inch deep,” because I listen to a little bit of everything but I’m only an expert on a few artists. I like indie rock, rap, and punk the most as far as genres go, and the catchier a song is the more likely it is that I’ll like it. Out of those genres, some of my favorite artists are Green Day, R.E.M., Figurine, Denzel Curry, and Kanye West. If I had a band, it would probably sound like Teenage Fanclub.
3) Where are you from?
I was born in Oklahoma and spent the first part of my life there before moving to Omaha, Nebraska. A few years later, when I was nine, we moved down to the Arlington, Texas area, which is where I’d say I’m “from.” I lived there until I went to college and I’ve spent longer in the DFW area than anywhere else in my life.
4) What are your hobbies?
In general, I like doing anything that lets me learn something I didn’t know before, whether that’s reading a book, watching a documentary, or even just seeing something cool on YouTube. I follow a lot of podcasts and watch a lot of sports, as well. The most exciting days for me are election days (anywhere in the world) or football Saturdays in the fall.
5) What is your favorite holiday?
At this point, I’d have to say Thanksgiving. I like food and football, and it’s a nice fall holiday that doesn’t extend across months like the Christmas season does nowadays. I do also enjoy July 4th, because I think a lot of the traditions surrounding it (like parades and fireworks) are really fun and don’t come up a lot the rest of the year. We should all have more parades as part of our daily life.
6) Do you have any siblings?
Yes, one younger brother.
7) What is one interesting fact you want people to know about you?
I always struggle with questions like this because they’re so open-ended. I guess I’ll take this opportunity to mention the thing I’m proud of that comes up the least often, which is that I can read music and play the piano pretty well. Although I’m just out of practice enough that maybe putting that out in public isn’t the best idea.
Next week, we ask Evan some law school and law-related questions!