By Gian Carla Guido
Dean Rico Paolo Quicho was also among the bar mentors who prepared the 2020/21 Bar takers of San Beda College Alabang – School of Law (SBCA-SOL). He sees it as his contribution to his students and to the legal profession.
He is the founder of Quicho Law Offices, the dean of Universidad de Manila – College of Law, a professor at SBCA-SOL, and the host of his own podcast, The MaLAWpet Show. An active lawyer who excels in a wide range of fields, Dean Quicho is a true modern-day renaissance man.
“I always say that our best ability is our availability as professors and mentors to our students. So even if I am quite busy now, juggling my different tasks, I always give time to my students and mentees.
I always say that our best ability is our availability as professors and mentors to our students.
This would be my modest contribution to their journey in law school and in the legal profession,” said Dean Quicho.
The mentor does his best to be hands-on with his mentees. He gives them advice, checks on them, and answers their questions. He also sends them messages and quotes “to boost their morale and ease their tension.”
Mikee Candelaria, one of Dean Quicho’s mentees, fondly said, “He has been very helpful as a bar mentor. He provides us with up-to-date resources via lectures made available to us personally by him and his team. He is also very prompt with the updates regarding bar matters. Dean has been very approachable. We will not hesitate to ask advice from him.”
When asked if there was a difference between him as a professor to several students and him as a mentor to a few, Dean Quicho responded, “No, I approached it the same way. Sometimes the greater the number of students, the more I am fueled to perform and do better—just like playing before a big crowd and taking the big shots. However, regardless of the number of students I teach or mentor, the passion to teach and mold is always there.”
He also considers his mentees’ mental health, telling them to quiet the noise and focus on the task at hand. “They have been exposed to a rollercoaster of emotions and challenges, so they just have to stick to the essentials. Hard work and perseverance are the keys to produce good results,” he stated.
Besides his knowledge of the law, Dean Quicho also wants to instill in his mentees a passion for justice, since it is important that they know their true purpose for wanting to become lawyers.
Finally, when asked how he wanted his mentees to remember him, Dean Quicho said, “Just like John Wick, a man of focus, commitment, and sheer will.” ∎