Robert D. Durham

Robert D. "Skip" Durham (born 1947) is a retired justice of the Oregon Supreme Court. Previously, Durham was a judge for the Oregon Court of Appeals and a lawyer in private practice. Education Durham's post-secondary education began at Whittier College located in Whittier, California. At Whittier he played first base on the baseball team and was a lineman on the football team. He graduated in 1969 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. Justice Durham then attended the University of Santa Clara School of Law, graduating with his J.D. in 1972. After graduation he served as a law clerk to Oregon Supreme Court justice Dean F. Bryson from 1972 to 1974. Lastly, he earned an LL.M. in 1998 from the University of Virginia School of Law. Legal career Durham was in private practice in Oregon from 1974 to 1991 working in Portland and Eugene. He served as chairperson of the Oregon State Bar's labor law section in 1984, and as chairperson of the Oregon Commission on Administrative Hearings from 1989 to 1990. He is a partner in Bennett & Durham in Portland, previously the firm was known as Kulongoski, Durham, Drummonds & Colombo. Judicial career Robert Durham's career in the judiciary began when he was appointed to the Oregon Court of Appeals by the governor on November 19, 1991. Subsequently, he was elected to a full term in 1992, but resigned from the court before the end of his term upon his appointment to the state supreme court. Also in 1992, he served as a faculty at the National Judicial College. From 1992 to 1994 and again from 1996 through 2005 Durham was a member on the Oregon Council on Court Procedures.