Exploring Life & Business with Rebecca Skeeles of Skeeles Jacobs Law LLC

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rebecca Skeeles.

Hi Rebecca, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My path to becoming an attorney was a little unconventional. At 19, while attending The Ohio State University, I had the opportunity to start Skeeles Manufacturing with my father. What began as a family business grew into a successful custom countertop and retail fixture manufacturing company, and I spent nearly 30 years helping build and operate it. Along the way, I attended Capital University Law School at night and became an attorney.

That experience really shaped the lawyer I am today. I didn’t learn about running a business solely from books or from advising clients—I lived it. I understand the pressures of making payroll, managing employees, negotiating contracts, dealing with customers, solving problems and making difficult decisions. After law school, I continued working in the business and ultimately served as its General Counsel, including helping navigate the sale of the company and its real estate in 2020.

My career has also taken me in some interesting directions. I worked with the Ohio State Bar Association and later traveled nationally as a professional speaker and educator for Casemaker, presenting to bar associations, law firms, government organizations and law schools. Eventually, I returned my focus to practicing law and built Skeeles Jacobs Law, where I now concentrate heavily on business, construction, real estate, contracts, litigation, estate planning and equine law.

Horses have been another constant throughout my life, so developing an equine law practice was a very natural progression. My family has owned horses for decades, and I have competed with Arabian horses from 4-H through the regional and national levels. Being able to combine my legal background with something I genuinely understand and love has become an important part of my practice. I also serve on the board of Stockhands Horses for Healing.

In 2023, I founded Skeeles Jacobs Law LLC. I practice in business, construction, real estate, life planning and equine law. More recently, I expanded my work in mediation. I am a certified mediator through the Supreme Court of Ohio and completed Harvard Law School’s Mediation and Conflict Management Program. I founded My Mediation Station because, after years of litigation, I saw firsthand how much time, money and stress can sometimes be avoided when people are given an effective opportunity to resolve disputes outside of the courtroom.

Looking back, the common thread through all of it has been entrepreneurship and problem-solving. I’ve been a business owner, lawyer, general counsel, speaker, mediator and lifelong horsewoman. Those experiences allow me to approach my clients’ problems from more than just a legal perspective. My goal has always been to give practical advice, protect the people and businesses I work with, and help them find a path forward.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Absolutely not! Starting and running a business is not for the faint of heart, and my road has definitely not been a smooth one.

I’ve faced plenty of professional challenges over the years—the ups and downs of starting, running and owning a business, making difficult decisions, taking risks, dealing with setbacks, and learning that when you are the person in charge, ultimately everything lands on your shoulders.

But my greatest challenges have been personal. In 2008, my daughter’s father unexpectedly passed away when she was not quite five months old. From that point forward, I was truly a single working mom. I was raising a baby while working, practicing law, helping run our family business, and trying to build a life for the two of us. I remained a single mom until I met my now-husband in 2023.

There were certainly times when it would have been easier to give up or choose a different path. That’s just never really been who I am. When something knocks me down, I figure out what needs to happen next, get back up, and keep going. I work hard, I fight for the things and people I care about, and I don’t give up easily.

I’ve had plenty of battles along the way—personally and professionally—and I certainly haven’t won every one of them. But every difficult experience has taught me something and made me stronger. I also think those experiences have made me a better business owner, attorney and advocate because I understand that behind every business problem or legal dispute is a real person who may be going through one of the hardest periods of their life.

So, no, it hasn’t been a smooth road. But I wouldn’t change the person the road has made me.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Skeeles Jacobs Law LLC is a boutique law firm that provides practical, personalized legal representation to businesses and individuals throughout Ohio. Our primary areas of practice include business and construction law, contracts, commercial litigation, real estate, mergers and acquisitions, estate and life planning, and equine law. I also frequently serve as outside general counsel to businesses, helping owners address legal issues before they become expensive problems.

What I believe really sets our firm apart is that I approach the law from the perspective of both an attorney and a business owner. Before building my law practice, I spent nearly 30 years helping start, grow and operate our family’s construction-related manufacturing company. I attended law school at night while working in the business and later served as its General Counsel. I have been on the other side of the desk—I know what it is like to make payroll, manage employees, negotiate contracts, deal with difficult customers, collect money that is owed, evaluate risk and make decisions where your own money and livelihood are on the line.

Because of that background, I try to give clients practical advice rather than simply telling them what the law says. Sometimes you can legally pursue something, but doing so makes absolutely no business sense. I believe a good business attorney needs to understand that distinction. I want my clients spending their resources growing and protecting their businesses—not unnecessarily paying lawyers.

We have also developed a significant niche practice in equine law, which is especially meaningful to me. Horses have been part of my life for as long as I can remember, and I have competed with Arabian horses through the regional and national levels. That experience gives me an understanding of the horse industry that simply cannot be learned from a textbook. We represent horse owners, trainers, barns, breeders and other equine businesses in everything from purchase and sale disputes and contracts to boarding and training agreements, liability issues, litigation and estate planning involving horses.

Another thing that is important to me is accessibility. I don’t want clients to feel like they are dealing with an intimidating institution where every question is passed from person to person. We build long-term relationships with our clients, learn their businesses and their goals, and become someone they can call when a problem arises—or, ideally, before it does.

I’m probably most proud that Skeeles Jacobs Law has grown largely because of relationships and referrals. Many of my clients aren’t simply people I represented once; I’ve become their trusted advisor and continue representing them as their businesses and lives evolve.

At the end of the day, our brand is pretty simple: work hard, be honest, be accessible, understand the client’s real-world problem, do what you say you are going to do and fight hard when fighting is necessary. I want people to know that when they hire Skeeles Jacobs Law, their matter matters to us. We aren’t interested in providing cookie-cutter legal advice. We want to understand what our clients are actually trying to accomplish and help them find the smartest, most practical way to get there.

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
What I love most about Ostrander is the small-town, country feel. We live in the country, which gives me the peace, space and lifestyle I love and most importantly, I get to live on a horse farm with my horses, but we’re still close to Dublin, Delaware and Marysville. To me, it’s the best of both worlds.

I also love being part of the greater Columbus community. I’m a huge Ohio State Buckeyes fan, and Columbus offers so much—excellent healthcare, great restaurants, concerts, sporting events and all of the amenities of a major city. You can enjoy the quiet of country living and still have access to just about anything you could want.

If I had to pick something I like least, it would be the distance from Ostrander to downtown Columbus. When you live where we do, a night downtown is definitely not right around the corner! And as Columbus has continued to grow, the traffic—and some of the driving that comes with it—can be frustrating.

But overall, I really do love this area. I can spend my day working in or around Columbus and then come home to horses, open space and country living. For me, that’s pretty hard to beat.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://skeelesjacobs.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rskeelesjacobs
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-skeeles-jacobs-a89b9812/
• Twitter: https://x.com/SkeelesReb33767
• Yelp: https://m.yelp.com/biz/skeeles-jacobs-law-ostrander