State Bar Director Spotlight • June 2024

Shannon A.S. Quadros

Hometown: Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain
Position: Shareholder in Quadros, Migl & Crosby in Houston
Board Member: District 4, Place 6 Since 2023

Interview By Will Korn
Photo Courtesy of Shannon A.S. Quadros

I NEVER REALLY SET OUT TO BE A LAWYER. GROWING UP, I ALWAYS WANTED TO BE IN THE SCIENCES. I went to school for and became an electrical engineer working on semiconductors. Life took its twists and turns, and I ended up in real estate development. During that time, I often worked with contracts and was regularly suggesting to the principals of the company I worked for that language needed to be tightened up in the contracts. They suggested I consider law school since I enjoyed it so much. So, I took the LSAT, applied and went to law school while I continued to work in real estate, and the rest, as they say, is history.

MY EXPERIENCE ON THE BUSINESS SIDE OF REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT REALLY GOT ME KEEN ON BEING ON THE LEGAL SIDE OF THINGS. The fact that I was an engineer made me comfortable with the technical aspects of construction science and was one of the reasons I was often volunteered to depose experts in construction disputes as a newly minted lawyer. Even though I don’t relish a legal fight, I recognize that the adversarial process is what hones my skills as an attorney, so there was little doubt in my mind that I wanted to be a litigator as opposed to a transactional lawyer.

YOUR CLIENTS WANT TO BE HAPPY; THEY DON’T WANT TO BE RIGHT DESPITE THEIR PROTESTATIONS OTHERWISE. The principle of the matter soon fades under the glare of mounting legal bills. Find solutions for your clients. And sometimes, the solution is running the litigation process through trial.

I FEEL A GREAT SENSE OF PRIVILEGE IN THE FACT THAT I HAVE HAD THE BENEFIT OF A GREAT LEGAL EDUCATION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON LAW CENTER, the love and support of family and friends, and the blessings of all I have in this world. A core tenet of the State Bar’s mission is to support the administration of the legal system and assure all citizens have equal access to justice. I feel it incumbent upon me to use all that I have been afforded toward something bigger than me and I can hardly think of a higher calling for a Texas lawyer than to do everything we can to support that mission.

I HAVE NOT QUITE BEEN ON THE BOARD FOR A FULL YEAR YET SO
I CANNOT TAKE CREDIT FOR MUCH, but I’m most proud of the work done by the Lawyers’ Assistance Program Committee. We have made inroads into several Texas law schools regarding the support the Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program can offer law students and graduates transitioning to practice. With the leadership of President Cindy Tisdale, the State Bar of Texas has been able to secure access to a free month of online counseling through BetterHelp for all Texas lawyers. Life can be challenging, and being a lawyer is challenging enough. Nobody needs to go through it alone, and it’s OK to ask for help and get it.

WE HAVE BEEN CALLED TO SERVE and are here to do what is best for our constituents and the bar as a whole. With that as our guidepost, we will not falter.

WE ARE UNIQUE IN THAT WE ARE SELF-REGULATED UNLIKE MOST ALL OTHER LICENSED PROFESSIONS IN THE STATE. We must take care to preserve that self-regulation and understand that with self-governance comes great responsibility. The board has been working hard to raise awareness and increase attorney participation and involvement in the affairs of the bar. Democracy dies in the darkness of indifference. As Texas lawyers, we need to do better about making our voices heard in the management of our own affairs.

I SEE THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS MOVE THEIR PROJECTS AND COMMITTEE TASKS DOWN THE FIELD AND PAST THE GOAL LINE EVERY BOARD MEETING. I see it when we regularly vote on proposed rule changes to clarify and clean up rules of procedure and evidence. I see it when revisions to the pattern jury charges and form books are promulgated. And I see it in countless other projects the board takes on every year that I simply did not appreciate as a lawyer until I got on the board.