M. Sean Royall

M. Sean Royall, a Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher partner specializing in antitrust law and commercial litigation, co-chairs the Firm's Antitrust and Trade Regulation Practice Group, and maintains offices both in Washington, D.C., and in Dallas, Texas. Mr. Royall recently completed a two and a half year tenure as Deputy Director of the Bureau of Competition at the Federal Trade Commission in Washington, DC. In this position, Mr. Royall was one of three FTC officials responsible for shaping and overseeing the agency's antitrust enforcement agenda, both in the merger and non-merger areas. While serving in this senior FTC post, Mr. Royall was the lead FTC official responsible for the government review of several high-profile mergers, such as the Pepsi/Quaker Oats, General Mills/Pillsbury, and Chevron/Texaco mergers, and the proposed acquisition of on-line job search firm HotJobs.com by rival Monster.com. Mr. Royall also played a key role in the FTC's recent reemphasis of non-merger work. In announcing his departure from the agency, FTC Chairman Timothy Muris explained that Mr. Royall was "instrumental in the Bureau's efforts increasingly to employ the agency's administrative litigation process as a forum for tackling cutting-edge antitrust issues." Mr. Royall's involvement in FTC non-merger antitrust enforcement included his role as lead trial counsel in the agency's widely watched suit against computer chip designer Rambus Inc., a case that involves allegations of monopolization of technology-related markets through subversion of an industry-wide standard-setting activity. Mr. Royall has spent most of his legal career – both in- and outside government -- litigating complex antitrust matters involving a diverse range of industries, including computer software, semiconductors, petroleum, petrochemicals, pet foods, airlines, financial services, and avionics. He has also litigated other complex commercial disputes involving contract, false advertising, business tort, and intellectual property claims. In addition to his litigation experience, Mr. Royall has substantial experience representing firms before the federal antitrust enforcement agencies; advising companies on the antitrust implications of mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, distribution arrangements, and intellectual property licenses; and assisting large corporations with legal compliance and records management issues. Mr. Royall has for the past five years served as an adjunct member of the faculty at the Washington & Lee University Law School, where he co-teaches a seminar on antitrust law. Mr. Royall also is the co-author and editor of the Desk Edition of the Von Kalinowski antitrust treatise, which is published by Matthew Bender & Co. In addition, he has written numerous articles on antitrust topics, including a recent article entitled "FTC Administrative Litigation: Past, Present, and Future," which appears in the Summer 2003 issue of the ABA’s Antitrust Law Journal, and a forthcoming article relating to the application of antitrust law to abuses of standard-setting processes, to be published in the ABA's Antitrust magazine. Mr. Royall has been active in the leadership of the ABA’s Section of Antitrust Law for a number of years. Currently, he is a Vice Chairman of the Section’s Sherman Act Section 1 Committee. He previously held the same position on the Sherman Act Section 2 Committee, and before that served for three years as Editorial Chair of the Antitrust Law Journal. Mr. Royall has also for many years enjoyed a close relationship with the Practising Law Institute, which sponsors continuing legal education seminars throughout the country. For three years, Mr. Royall co-chaired PLI's two-day seminar on Antitrust Litigation. He has also spoken on a range of antitrust-related topics in other PLI-sponsored programs, and currently serves as a member of PLI's Antitrust and Trade Regulation Advisory Board. Mr. Royall obtained his law degree, with honors, in 1990 from the University of Chicago Law School, where he served as Managing Editor of the Law Review. He obtained a bachelors degree in economics magna cum laude in 1986 from Texas A&M University, where he served as president of the student body. He is admitted to the bars of the District of Columbia and the State of Texas.

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