SVUDL Welcomes Payton Fong to the SVUDL Advisory Committee

We are honored to welcome Payton Fong to the SVUDL Advisory Committee (AC). Payton Fong is an intellectual property attorney at White & Case in Silicon Valley, and joins a distinguished group of professionals dedicated to providing mentorship and career exploration opportunities for SVUDL students and alumni. Through their relationships with AC members and their networks, SVUDL students and alumni will strengthen their social and professional capital.

Payton's journey to law began with his middle school Speech and Debate team. Those early experiences uncovered a passion for public speaking and argumentation that only deepened through high school and college, ultimately leading him to pursue a legal career.

Payton earned his Juris Doctor from Berkeley Law, where he volunteered as an asylum caseworker with the Afghan Scholars Project, served as a research assistant with the Asian Law Caucus, and clerked for the San Francisco District Attorney's Office. Today, as an IP litigator at White & Case, Payton handles Section 337 Investigations before the International Trade Commission, as well as patent and trade secret disputes in U.S. District Court. He also remains committed to pro bono work in the areas of civil rights and employment law.

Payton sees his role on the Advisory Committee as a bridge, connecting students and alumni to professional opportunities and real world guidance he wishes he'd had earlier access to in his own journey. "There were a lot of things I wish I knew when I first started thinking about a career in law. I hope to share my experiences and the lessons I learned as a mentor to SVUDL students. I'm here as a resource for anyone who wants to learn more about applying to law school and studying for the bar."

Beyond the technical skills of research and legal argumentation, Payton emphasizes the value of abilities that translate across any career path. "I think there are other skills I've learned that are useful in any career: being able to work well in a team and being able to communicate complex ideas into something easy to understand," he noted.

And at the heart of it all, he carries a deep appreciation for the community that Speech and Debate created. "I remember fondly the friendships I made in Speech and Debate. What made Speech and Debate especially worthwhile to me was belonging to a community of really smart and passionate people."