University of Houston Law Center alumnus Shannon Quadros '10
May 14, 2018 – With eight years of experience in the legal profession, Shannon Quadros has accomplished a major milestone as an attorney. The 2010 University of Houston Law Center alumnus was recently elevated to partner at Kilmer Crosby & Quadros PLLC. Seeing his name at the firm's Dallas and Houston offices continues to provide him with a wave of positive emotions.
"It's a pretty big deal," Quadros said. "I don't know if anyone in my family has ever had their name on the door of anything. There's no Quadros Engineering or anything like that. I think I am still processing it. It's both validation and an honor.
"I have really wonderful partners. The best part about being on board is having my name next to theirs. They're so good to work with. We see things the same way and I can't imagine being partners with anybody else."
Quadros is now well established in his third career after stints in the real-estate business and as an electrical engineer. He primarily works as a commercial trial lawyer, focusing on real estate and construction related disputes.
"When I first became a lawyer, that's not the sort of work I did," Quadros said. "But obviously, I had a natural affinity for it. I definitely understand the business very well. While I'm not a civil or mechanical engineer, as an electrical engineer, I understand a lot of the issues behind construction defect and delay. So, it is natural fit for me.
"People take property disputes very personally, compared to some other civil disputes, whether it's commercial or residential. They make for very interesting clients."
Quadros stumbled into the legal profession after being encouraged by his real estate colleagues. He wanted to maintain his fulltime work schedule, and found the right fit at the Law Center's part-time program.
"I didn't mean to go to law school," Quadros said. "I never thought about law. I never really knew any lawyers. But when I was in the real estate business I enjoyed looking through contracts. A principal in the real estate company I was working with said, 'You seem to like this stuff, you should go to law school.'
"I didn't want to give up my day job and I didn't want to go into debt. So I requested a brochure from UH. This brochure said I had to take this exam called the LSAT. That was how green I was. I didn't know anything about it. I scored high enough to get in and decided to give it a shot. Fast forward 10 plus years later and here I am."
Though attending law school was not a part of his initial career plans, Quadros forged bonds with numerous classmates and professors as a student. The late Stephen T. Zamora, a former Law Center dean and professor, helped Quadros find his first summer clerkship job. Professor Douglas Moll assisted Quadros with his first job after earning his J.D.
"Everything that I have today in terms of my career, it's completely because of the connections I've made at the Law Center," he said. "The education I've received and the opportunities I was afforded as a result of being a part of the Law Center.
"The law school not only educated me and helped me get my J.D., but every person in that school one way or the other helped me move up and continue to help me forge ahead. It's come full circle. I can't imagine my life without having gone to the Law Center."
Quadros encourages Law Center alumni to keep a relationship with their alma mater, and that support does not always have to come in the form of a donation.
"If someone doesn't have a lot of money to spare or has loans they're trying to pay down, you can give your time and talents," Quadros said. "Personally, I love to make sure that every law student has a job and that they become good attorneys. If we have a lot of great practicing attorneys that are very skilled in their craft, it only brings up the value of a degree from the Law Center."
He said he keeps an open line of communication with the Career Development Office and spends time mentoring and helping current law students and young alumni with their career choices.
"If there is a recent graduate or someone more tenured, I'm always available to talk and connect people," Quadros said. "You have to pay it forward. I was so blessed to have my professors and fellow classmates help me. It takes just a little bit of time and nothing is greater than helping people take that next step to make their way in the world."
