William King joined the Southeastern Conference (“SEC) on September 1, 2015, as Associate Commissioner for Legal Affairs and Compliance. In that role, William is responsible for all legal, litigation and contractual matters, and is the Conference lead on state and federal legislative and governmental relations work. William serves as the liaison for the SEC football head coaches, university general counsel and governmental relations groups. He regularly advises SEC institutions on NCAA compliance and infractions issues and is responsible for the SEC’s governance and rulemaking activities at the Conference and NCAA levels. He was responsible for the development and implementation of the SEC’s integrity monitoring program for sports gambling activities and continues to oversee this area.

Prior to joining the SEC, William was a partner with Lightfoot, Franklin & White, spending more than 25 years with the firm. While at Lightfoot, William incorporated his passion for college sports into his daily law practice as he created the firm’s NCAA infractions practice, becoming a national leader in this area and representing universities throughout the country. William handled high-profile NCAA matters involving Cam Newton, Johnny Manziel, Todd Gurley and Reggie Bush among others. He represented universities across the country, including six SEC institutions and members of the other autonomy conferences. While William primarily represented universities in his NCAA work, he also represented college coaches and athletes as well.

William is a graduate of Washington & Lee University and Vanderbilt University School of Law. He and his wife Dolly have three adult children. He has been a member of the Alabama Bar since 1989. Prior to joining Lightfoot, he was a judicial clerk for the Honorable Robert S. Vance on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.