From 1965 to 1979 he was an advocate to the Supreme Court of South Africa, specialising in commercial law; he was appointed senior counsel in 1975.
[1] He resigned that post in 1980 – reportedly after an altercation with Prime Minister P. W. Botha[3] – and entered the commercial arena.
[3] In later years, he chaired and was a director of Capital Alliance Ltd and Metro Cash & Carry Ltd.[2] From 1981 to 1989 he was the first chairman of Operation Hunger, a South African charity which aimed to feed children in rural areas; he is now honorary life president of that organisation.
[2] In July 1993 the Institute of Directors in South Africa asked King to chair the first official committee on corporate governance.
King viewed the committee as an opportunity to educate the recently democratized South African public on the principles of working in a free economy.
[2] He is currently a member of the Private Sector Advisory Group to the World Bank on Corporate Governance and a member of the international advisory boards of Stern Stewart (US), Tomorrow's Company (United Kingdom), and the Central European Corporate Governance Association.