King & Spalding LLP

Throughout its 140-year history, King & Spalding has expanded far from its Southern roots to open offices across the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. The firm’s long-time clients include public and private companies across many industries. 

A King Rises

In 1885, Alex C. King and Jack J. Spalding founded what would eventually become Atlanta’s largest law firm. In the early years, the firm offered extensive services to the railroad industry. In the mid-20th century, the firm’s key alliances grew to include The Coca-Cola Company and Trust Company Bank. In recent decades, the firm underwent a series of expansions that made it into the global firm that it is today, first opening shop in DC, followed by New York and Houston. The firm has continued to add office locations throughout the United States and overseas. It now boasts 24 offices in 10 countries.

Holistic Practice

With an eye toward the increasing multidisciplinary nature of today’s legal practice, King & Spalding is organized into eight large practice groups: business litigation, corporate, finance and restructuring, government matters and regulation, international disputes, product liability and mass torts, real estate and funds, and special matters and government investigations. The firm counsels clients across industries, including the automotive, transportation, and mobility; energy; financial services; food and beverage; higher education; technology; life sciences; and healthcare sectors.

The firm’s international disputes practice is adept at cross-border work and has worked on arbitrations in more than 140 countries. Its practice is top-ranked by Vault. The firm has been ranked No. 1 by Global Arbitration Review for five of the past six years and named a Law360 International Arbitration Practice Group of the Year in 2024. Law360 also recognized the firm’s business litigation and trial capabilities by naming it a Trials Practice Group of the Year in 2024. The firm’s product liability and mass torts practice has received Practice Group of the Year honors eight times.

King & Spalding’s government matters and regulations team and special matters and government investigations teams include former leaders at the DOJ, SEC, EPA, FDA, FTC, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, IRS, Department of Commerce, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Bank of England, and WTO. The firm is ranked by Vault and has been honored twice by Law360 as a White Collar Practice Group of the Year, is consistently ranked in Global Investigations Review’s GIR 100 as a top firm for investigations, was named a top crisis firm by Chambers, and in 2024 was named Chambers USA Environmental Firm of the Year.

The firm’s corporate, finance and restructuring, and real estate and funds teams include lawyers in 24 offices around the world and help clients execute complex, high-value transactions, including finance and restructuring, capital markets, M&A and private equity, investment funds, real estate, construction, energy and infrastructure projects, tax, and global human capital transactions. In the past four years, its global finance team has closed more than 1,500 finance transactions totaling over $400 billion in aggregate financing. Its corporate team has handled 55 deals over $1 billion in the past five years. The projects and construction team has handled over $500 billion in construction deals. These teams are regularly recognized by legal publications, such as Law360 as Practice Group of the Year, and numerous practices and lawyers have been ranked in Chambers USA.

Making Connections

The lawyers at King & Spalding are encouraged to network with each other, and the firm fosters relationships through Connect K&S, which is an office visit program through which associates travel to other offices on the firm’s dime. Since matters are assigned across offices, this program enables associates to strengthen relationships with coworkers in other locations. Connect K&S is also available to summer associates, a unique aspect of the firm’s summer program.

• Represent Boehringer Ingelheim as national coordinating and trial counsel in all litigation alleging that its widely used heartburn medication Zantac increases the risk of cancer. We have tried seven cases without a single plaintiff's verdict, including a complete defense verdict in the first Zantac trial in the Circuit Court of Cook County, IL, three additional defense verdicts, and three mistrials. 
• Secured a landmark $1.3 billion award for Refinería de Cartagena (Reficar) in an International Criminal Court arbitration against the contractor relating to delays and cost overruns involving a state-of-the-art refinery in Colombia, one of the largest construction projects in Latin America. We subsequently defended against multi-jurisdictional restructuring proceedings brought by an award debtor to extinguish the award, securing courtroom victories that resulted in Reficar obtaining a package worth approximately $900 million.
• Represented Red Lobster and its affiliates in their Chapter 11 bankruptcy filed in the Middle District of Florida (Orlando division), taking the company in and out of Chapter 11 in just three months. Red Lobster’s restructuring preserves the ongoing success of the sixth largest casual dining chain in North America.
• Conducted an independent investigation into allegations of abuse in the National Women’s Soccer League, culminating in a 172-page report and initiating widespread changes within the organization.  

• International Arbitration Practice Group of the Year, Trials Practice Group of the Year, 2024—Law360
• Environmental Law Firm of the Year, 2024—Chambers USA
• White-Collar Specialty Practice Litigation Department of the Year, 2025—Daily Report
• Construction Team of the Year, 2025—Middle East Legal Awards
• No. 1 firm on the GAR 100, 2025—Global Arbitration Review