Nicholas Kacal (J.D. ’20)
June 13, 2025 - When Nicholas Kacal (J.D. ’20), associate attorney at The Cobos Law Firm, talks about his legal journey, he says fatherhood changed his life.
“Becoming a father was the turning point,” said Kacal, who earned his J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center in 2020. “I am not sure I would have chosen to go to law school if I did not have a family to serve.”
After high school, Kacal worked as a correctional officer for Harris County Juvenile Probation Department at the Harris County Leadership Academy (formerly known as “Delta Boot Camp”). Kacal earned his undergraduate degree at Sam Houston State University while working for Harris County supervising, protecting, and mentoring youth. Then, already a husband and father of a three-year-old by graduation, he focused squarely on finding a law school that would let him stay in Houston.
“The University of Houston Law Center was the first and only choice for me,” he said. After graduation, he went took the bar exam in February 2021 – contending with the devastating Winter Storm Yuri – and earned the third highest score in Texas.
Today, Kacal is the right-hand man at a small but fast-moving Houston law practice, handling everything from client consultations to litigation and trial work. He joined the firm in 2021 as its second attorney, working alongside founding partner Andrew Cobos.
He is also busy raising a family with his pregnant wife, Brooke Kacal, in Houston. His son, Gabriel, is now eleven years-old, and his daughter, seven years-old, are eagerly awaiting the arrival of their baby sister Violet. The Kacal family’s days are long but full —and he is most grateful for them.
“The Law Center allowed me to be a present dad while building a future,” Kacal said. “And that meant everything.”
Both Gabriel and Rose were Nicholas’ regular companions at the University of Houston Law Center during his studies. In fact, Rose was born shortly after Hurricane Harvey during Kacal’s first semester at UHLC in 2017. Kacal humorously recounted staying up late to watch the Astros win their first world series title while reading his contracts textbook and rocking the then infant Rose to sleep.
The practical, experience-based learning at UHLC was also especially helpful, he added. Courses that mimicked real legal scenarios gave him a strong foothold once he entered practice. Just as valuable, he said, were the relationships forged with professors and classmates—many of whom still serve as mentors and friends today.
But law school wasn’t easy, especially not with a young family at home. To keep pace, Kacal made every minute count.
“I listened to BARBRI lectures constantly,” he said. “In the car, at the store, even while cleaning or exercising. I wasn’t going to let any opportunity to study slip by.”
That work ethic—and the motivation behind it—is what is needed to make dreams come true.
His advice to aspiring lawyers is simple: “Put in the time. Be consistent. And remember why you’re doing it.”
As Father’s Day approaches, Kacal says he feels deep gratitude — both for where he is and for the future he continues to build.
