Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P. President | St. John's University website

On a typical Tuesday afternoon, Kevin Wong engages in reviewing contracts, refining intellectual property agreements, or sampling the latest culinary offerings at Taco Bell. Wong serves as Senior Manager and Senior Corporate Counsel for the international business at the fast-food chain.

From the time Wong graduated from St. John's Law in 2016, he aspired to work as an in-house attorney. “Before starting law school, I watched Law & Order and I thought I wanted to be a prosecutor,” he says. His perspective shifted following an internship experience. “My 1L summer, I had a great opportunity to intern with a magistrate judge in the Eastern District of New York through the Sonya & Celina Sotomayor Judicial Internship Program. I learned a lot but discovered I no longer wanted to be in litigation.”

Wong chose to focus on corporate law, obtaining a 2L summer internship in a general counsel’s office at a multinational oil company thanks to a connection through the Asian American Bar Association of New York. This experience stirred his interest in the dynamic interaction of business and law.

“Witnessing how legal decisions affect the business was very eye-opening,” Wong shares. His interest in corporate practice was cemented with a course at St. John’s Law. “When I returned to St. John's Law in the fall, I enrolled in Intro to In-House Practice, taught by Adjunct Professor Steven Rapp ‘83. That course solidified my desire to go straight in-house after I graduated.”

With close to ten years in in-house roles and four years at Taco Bell, Wong tackles the complexities of working for the influential fast-food enterprise. “A lot of what I learned from other in-house attorneys came true in terms of what it takes to be an in-house attorney at a company,” he explains.

Wong's notable projects include an intellectual property case combined with a marketing campaign. In May 2023, Taco Bell initiated legal proceedings to cancel the Taco Tuesday trademark registrations in order to liberate the term for business use nationwide. “Taco Bell partnered with basketball star LeBron James to ‘Free Taco Tuesday,’” Wong elaborates. “The campaign was led by our U.S. team, and I supported on the international side to ensure we can have one true global campaign of freeing Taco Tuesday. It was interesting to be a part of a marketing campaign centered on a legal concept.”

Wong credits St. John’s Law for equipping him to pursue an in-house career immediately after law school. “Not all roads are linear in the legal profession,” he says. “St. John’s provided me the opportunity to pursue a career that intersects with business goals. That’s why it’s so great to see alumni from all areas of the profession engaged and excited about the Law School’s next 100 years.”

Remaining engaged with his alma mater, Wong enjoys mentoring students. “I enjoy connecting with current students and sharing my non-traditional career path. Usually, the first question I get from students is if I get free Taco Bell. I don’t, but I hope students can learn from my experience, and they can take away how St. John's trains attorneys to be excellent in their field.”