King & Spalding announced today that leading antitrust and consumer protection lawyer Sean Royall has joined the firm as a partner in its Trial and Global Disputes practice group. Royall, who will serve as the firm’s Global Practice Head for Antitrust and Consumer Protection, is based in the firm’s Washington, D.C. and Houston offices and will also spend significant time in the firm’s Brussels office. Royall joins the firm from Sidley Austin, where he served as co-leader of the Antitrust and Consumer Protection practice.
Royall, whose practice focuses on antitrust and consumer protection litigation and related government investigations and counseling, brings to the firm a wealth of experience. He has spent his entire career handling complex antitrust litigation matters and government investigations and has long been ranked in Band 1 by Chambers and Partners. He is a highly experienced courtroom litigator with a stellar track record for winning high-stakes cases.
His antitrust career, both in government and private practice, has included work on many major mergers and acquisitions, as well as lead roles in complex litigation matters that intersect with other areas of law, including patent law, various federal regulatory regimes, consumer protection, and privacy. In addition to his trial-level experience, he has successfully argued appeals in courts around the country and regularly handles government investigations before the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Department of Justice, state attorneys general, and foreign competition authorities.
“Sean is a seasoned and well-respected antitrust and consumer protection litigator with a strong international presence and a desire to build with the firm’s other global antitrust and consumer protection leaders. He will play a critical role in helping us expand on our existing strengths to become a market leader for all types of antitrust and consumer protection work,” said Andy Bayman, leader of King & Spalding’s Trial and Global Disputes practice group. “We are pleased to welcome Sean as the latest in the string of high-profile trial lawyers we have added recently.”
Earlier in his career, he served as deputy director of the FTC’s Bureau of Competition, where he was lead trial lawyer in its landmark monopolization suit against computer chip maker Rambus Inc., a novel case that established new legal standards applicable to patent disclosure within industry standard-setting consortiums. He earned his undergraduate degree from Texas A&M University and his J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School.
“King & Spalding is committed to continue building a world-class antitrust and consumer protection practice and has the platform and resources to do it,” said Royall. “I am excited to be taking on a leading role in driving this growth and thrilled to be joining the firm, where I look forward to reuniting with many friends and former colleagues whom I respect tremendously. The assembly of litigation, trial, and government investigations talent at King & Spalding is impressive, and I am proud to be part of such an extraordinary team.”
