Adriana Quintero received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley), double majoring in Political Science and Spanish. After graduating from UC Berkeley, Ms. Quintero attended California Western School of Law in San Diego, California, to gain the tools to fight for and give a voice to the vulnerable and underrepresented and pursue a career as a criminal defense attorney. While in law school, Ms. Quintero was involved in campus organizations and the community. She worked as a research assistant for her Criminal Procedure professor, researching the interaction of Miranda rights and culture in criminal defense. Ms. Quintero also served as president of the La Raza Law Student Association, was a member of San Diego La Raza Lawyers, and regularly volunteered at naturalization clinics hosted by local non-profit organizations.
As a law student, Ms. Quintero held several legal internship and externship positions. While studying abroad in Santiago, Chile, Ms. Quintero interned with the Office of the Attorney General of Chile, where she co-authored an article published in a legal periodical in Chile and drafted informational pamphlets on the transition from the inquisitorial to adversarial system in Chile. Ms. Quintero also externed for two federal judges and a California appellate court justice, where she researched and drafted opinions, reports, and recommendations on both criminal and civil matters. She worked on various immigration matters with the non-profit organizations, Casa Cornelia Law Center and Employee Rights Center. While waiting for California Bar Exam results, Ms. Quintero worked as a law clerk with the Riverside Public Defender’s office, where she conducted preliminary hearings, second-chaired a serious felony trial, and handled misdemeanor cases.
Ms. Quintero then began working as an associate attorney at a civil law firm, handling mainly public interest cases, including environmental, land use, and municipal cases. After that, Ms. Quintero worked as a deputy public defender with the Los Angeles County Public Defender, where she handled a variety of criminal cases and conducted preliminary hearings, litigated motions, and tried cases to verdict. Ms. Quintero left the Los Angles County Public Defender and helped establish Vadgama Law along with her husband, Shakti Vadgama, and serves as the firms Managing Attorney where she puts her litigation skills and passion to advocate on behalf of individuals accused of crimes. Ms. Quintero is licensed to practice law in the state of California and appear before the Immigration Courts. She is also a member of California Attorneys for Criminal Justice.
