David Walker is an M&A lawyer with more than 30 years of experience focusing on UK and international private equity transactions. He was Global Vice Chair of the Corporate Department and the former Global Co-Chair of Latham & Watkins' Private Equity Practice, and is recognized as a leader in his field in numerous publications.

He commented and written extensively on private equity, including contributing chapters to Private Equity: A Transactional Analysis and was the editor of another specialist book entitled Private Equity Exits: A Practical Analysis.

David's experience includes advising:

  • Equistone Partners Europe and CH&CO, a provider of premium contract and hospitality services in the UK and Ireland, on the £475 million sale of CH&CO to Compass Group UK & Ireland
  • EQT on the sale of Rimes, a global leader in enterprise data management solutions for the investment industry to Five Arrows, the private equity arm of Rothschild & Co.
  • Bridgepoint and CPP Investments on the €4.2 billion sale of Dorna Sports, the international sports management, media, and marketing company, to Liberty Media
  • Leonard Green & Partners on its investment in IRIS, a leading global provider of mission-critical software and services in accountancy, payroll, HR, and education
  • Goldman Sachs on its acquisition of Clear Group, a commercial insurance broker
  • Ares Management on its acquisition of BlueCove Limited, the London-based scientific fixed income manager
  • Energy Capital Partners on its £2.1 billion acquisition of Biffa plc, the UK's leading integrated waste and recycling firm
  • Equistone Partners and Acuity Knowledge Partners (Acuity), on the sale of Acuity, a leading provider of high-value research, analytics, and business intelligence to the financial services sector, to funds advised by Permira
  • Goldman Sachs on its investment in Phytech, a digital farming automation and data provider that helps growers optimize production by providing real-time, direct plant health status, and one of the first investments for Goldman’s ESG-focused Horizon fund
  • Goldman Sachs on the sale of Japan Renewable Energy to ENEOS, Japan’s largest oil refiner
  • The Carlyle Group on its acquisition of Altadia Group from an affiliate of Lone Star Funds
  • Ares and Farrow & Ball on the sale of Farrow & Ball, an iconic paint and wallpaper brand with a 75-year British heritage, to Hempel Group 
  • Goldman Sachs, Bowmark Capital, and Aston Lark on the sale of the Aston Lark group 
  • RIMES, a portfolio company of EQT, on its acquisition of Matrix IDM, an Australia-based investment data management platform
  • Hellman & Friedman on its acquisition of a stake in Belron, a global leader in vehicle glass repair and replacement, valuing Belron at €21 billion
  • Blackstone and CVC on the merger of Paysafe with Foley Trasimene Acquisition Corp. II, a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) founded and led by Bill Foley
  • The Carlyle Group on its agreement to acquire a majority stake in luxury, streetwear, and sportswear retailer END
  • Silver Lake Partners on its substantial minority investment into IVC Evidensia group (IVC), the leading European veterinary care provider
  • TowerBrook Capital Partners on the public-to-private acquisition by a consortium of investors of The AA, a UK-based company engaged in providing car insurance, driving lessons, breakdown cover, loans, motoring advice, road maps, and other services
  • Leonard Green & Partners and its portfolio company CPA Global, a leader in intellectual property software and tech-enabled services, on its US$6.8 billion combination with Clarivate Plc, a leader in providing trusted information and insights to accelerate the pace of innovation
  • EQT on the acquisition of RIMES Technologies Corporation, a leading managed data services and RegTech solutions provider with operations across the US, Europe, and Asia
  • Equistone Partners Europe on its acquisition of Moody’s Analytics Knowledge Services, a market-leading research and analytics company
  • Goldman Sachs PIA on its acquisition of Aston Lark, a UK insurance broker, from Bowmark Capital
  • Leonard Green & Partners on its sale of a 25% stake of TopShop/TopMan, a UK-based operator of a chain of clothing retail stores for women
  • Hellman & Friedman and Blackstone on their €5.7 billion takeover offer of Scout24 AG, a leading operator of digital marketplaces — the largest ever public-to-private deal in Germany
  • Hellman & Friedman on the sale of a 7.5% stake in Verisure Holding to Corporacion Financiera Alba
  • Hellman & Friedman on the sale of a 10% stake in Securitas Direct Verisure Group to GIC
  • Global Infrastructure Partners on the €1.94 billion acquisition of Italo – Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori, an Italy-based provider of high speed rail transportation services
  • A consortium led by Blackstone and CVC Capital Partners on its £2.96 billion offer for Paysafe Group plc, a leading global provider of end to end payment solutions; the deal represents the largest public-to-private deal under the UK Takeover Code since 2010
  • Platinum Equity on the acquisition of Pattonair, a provider of supply chain management solutions to aerospace and defense markets
  • Hellman & Friedman on the acquisition of Securitas Direct Verisure Group, a security services provider, and a subsequent disposal of a minority stake
  • Global Infrastructure Partners on its disposal of a 15% stake in Compañía Logística de Hidrocarburos, a provider of oil products transportation and storage, to Borealis Infrastructure Management
  • EQT on the sale by Kuoni Travel of Gullivers Travel Associates, a UK-based provider of B2B hotel accommodation and destination services, to HotelBeds Group
  • Ares Management on its acquisition of Farrow & Ball, a decorative paint and wallpaper manufacturer
  • Hellman & Friedman on the €2 billion acquisition of a majority interest in Scout24 Holding, an operator of online publications for classified advertisements, from Deutsche Telekom
  • The Carlyle Group portfolio company Acosta Sales & Marketing on the acquisition of Reach, a sales and marketing services company in the consumer goods industry
  • Hellman & Friedman on the sale of Scout 24 International Management AG, a digital classified advertising company, to Ringier Digital AG
  • The Carlyle Group and PAI Partners on the acquisition of Custom Sensors & Technologies, a designer and manufacturer of sensing, control, and motion products
  • The Carlyle Group on the acquisition of Chesapeake Corporation, a supplier of pharmaceutical and consumer packaging products, and its subsequent merger with
  • Multi Packaging Solutions (MPS), to create a leading global provider of print-based specialty packaging
  • Global Natural Resource Investments on the acquisition of Barclays Natural Resource Investments, a private equity firm investing in the natural resource sector
  • EQT portfolio company Faerch Plast on the acquisition of Anson Packaging, a manufacturer of thermoforming packaging products for the food industry Equistone on its creation and spin-out from Barclays Bank and on various acquisitions and disposals

Bar Qualification

  • England and Wales (Solicitor)

Education

  • BA (Hons) History, King's College London, 1988