How I Got My Job: Kingston White, ProPay (SJQ 2011)

This article contains PDO’s feature of Kingston White, who got an in-house counsel job at ProPay after graduating from the S.J. Quinney College of Law in 2011.


1.     What do you do? 

I am an Associate General Counsel for ProPay, Inc. They are located in Lehi and provide payment services for small to large businesses all over the world. 

 2.     Where are you from and why did you go to law school?  

Duncanville, TX (suburb of Dallas).  I decided to go to law school after taking a business law class during my undergrad.  I wanted to get an edge in business by being able to understand and navigate the legal landscape.

3.     What kinds of activities did you do in law school?

 I was involved in the Business Law Society, the law school’s intramural soccer team, and the Journal of Law and Family Studies.

4.    How did you first make contact with your employer and how did you get this job?  

The job started as a part-time, temporary position as a law clerk.  I heard about it through Symplicity, applied for the job, and got an interview.  I got the job as a law clerk, and worked for almost four months as a “temp” before they made me an offer to stay.

5.     What does a typical day involve for you/your work?  

Every day is different and is dictated by what issues come up from other departments or upper management.  I split my day between proactive protection of the company and reactive answering questions or preventing “fires.”

6.     Best (& worst, if you want) parts of the job?  

The best part about my job is the variety of work I get to do (drafting and negotiating contracts, managing patents and trademarks, and advising on different areas of law), the hours (8-5, no weekends), the flexibility in what I get to spend my time doing, and  the high level of influence I have on the company.  There’s not much about my job I don’t like, so I don’t have an answer for the “worst” part of my job.  

7.     What tips/advice do you have for job seeking SJ Quinney students?  

My advice would be to look for opportunities everywhere.  Volunteer at a place where you’d like to work (or, more realistic in this economy, any place that will let you work).  Offering you a job is a huge risk for any company or firm, so working for them beforehand makes it a lot easier to get in.  Once you’re in, work so hard and do such a great job that you’re indispensable.