David Griffiths is a partner in Willkie’s Corporate & Financial Services Department in London. David’s practice encompasses a broad range of non-contentious work, including public and private M&A, domestic and international capital markets transactions, including insurance-linked securities, as well as advising clients on UK and EU regulation. David has particular experience in the (re)insurance sector. He is recognised as a Key Lawyer by The Legal 500 UK (2025) for Debt capital markets, Equity capital markets – mid-large cap, and High yield where he and the team are described as “keen to develop long-term relationships and are willing to work to aggressive timelines to meet client needs.”
David was a lead partner in the team that received the “Law Firm of the Year” award at the Insurance Insider ILS Awards 2025. The award recognizes Willkie as a market leader in complex ILS and highlights its accomplishments advising sponsors, brokers and investors on an array of sophisticated ILS transactions.
Experience
Capital Markets
- Platinum Equity on an $800 million refinancing by portfolio company Solenis
- Sites del Perú S.A.C., a subsidiary of Sitios Latinoamérica, S.A.B. de C.V., in its inaugural offering of S/872 million ($235 million equivalent) in Senior Notes.
- Fidelis Insurance Holdings Limited in connection with its initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange
- Platinum Equity in its $550 Million Notes Offering in Calderys, a French refractories company
- Platinum Equity and its portfolio company Solenis, in Solenis’ $4.6 billion acquisition financing of Diversey Holdings, Ltd., a leading provider of hygiene, infection prevention and cleaning solutions
- Platinum Equity and its portfolio company Solenis in the financing of Solenis’ $4.6 billion acquisition of Diversey Holdings, Ltd.
- Solenis, a portfolio company of Platinum Equity, in the financing of its acquisition of Clearon Corp.
- Platinum Equity in the financing of its $5.25 billion acquisition of Solenis
- Sixth Street Partners in its $500 million preferred equity investment in Bermuda-domiciled (re)insurer, Convex Group
- Advised GoldenTree Asset Management on the €1.9 billion sale of shares in and IPO of BAWAG Group AG in 2017 on the Austrian Stock Exchange and under Rule 144A
- Advised Lancashire Holdings Limited on its £131 million equity placing of common shares, to raise proceeds to fund its acquisition of Cathedral Capital Limited, and on its earlier $130 million offering of Senior Notes under Rule 144A, and the related admission and listings on The London Stock Exchange
- A global luxury fashion house in its inaugural bond offering of €600 million sustainability-linked green bonds, listed on the regulated market of the Luxembourg Stock Exchange
- Platinum Equity in a high-yield offering of $300 million aggregate principal amount of 9.50% Senior Notes due 2028, in connection with the acquisition of Cision Ltd. (NYSE: CISN)
- Advised on Comprehensive Financial Restructuring of the Lecta Group including the exchange of Lecta’s existing €375 million 6.50% Fixed Rate Senior Secured Notes due 2023 and its €225 million Floating Rate Senior Secured Notes due 2022 for new Floating Rate Senior Secured Notes due 2025 and Subordinated Floating Rate PIK Notes due 2028
- Platinum Equity in the high yield and holding company financing associated with its acquisition of Wesco Aircraft and the subsequent merger with Pattonair
- Aspen in its $250 million US registered public offering of preference shares to qualify as regulatory capital
- Aegerion Pharmaceuticals, a wholly owned subsidiary of Novelion Therapeutics, in its recapitalization, whereby Amryt Pharma agreed to acquire 100% of Aegerion’s reorganized stock
- The underwriters in Marsh & McLennan’s $5 billion multi-tranche senior notes offering, €1.1 billion senior notes offering and $600 million senior notes reopening offering
- Platinum Equity in a high-yield offering of $280 million 9.00% Senior Secured Notes due 2022, as part of the acquisition financing of UK-based company, Pattonair Holdings Limited
- NYSE-listed Tronox Limited in connection with the high yield bond portion of its $3.150 billion debt refinancing transactions, comprising an offering of $450 million 5.75% Senior Notes due 2025
- Sirius International Group in its Regulation S offering of SEK2,750,000,000 (approximately $340 million) aggregate principal amount of floating rate callable subordinated notes due 2047
Insurance-Linked Securities
- Allstate Insurance Company as deal counsel in connection with its $300 million catastrophe bond issued by Sanders Re II
- The New Zealand Earthquake Commission in connection with its NZD$225 million catastrophe bond market debut, in a first for the region
- SCOR in its $75 million catastrophe bond offering, via Irish-incorporated Atlas Capital DAC
- Advised Canopius as deal counsel in connection with the issuance by Finca Re of $75 million of principal-at-risk variable rate notes
- Advised Aspen Insurance as deal counsel in connection with the issuance by Kendall Re Ltd. of $300 million aggregate principal amount of principal-at-risk variable rate notes
- Advised MS Amlin Asia on ILS transactions involving issuances of participating notes by Singapore-domiciled Phoenix Re Pte Ltd.
- Advised ClaRe PCC and its sponsors, Barbican Insurance and Clare Management, on the formation and ILS funding of ClaRe in 2017 as a collateralized market-facing retrocessionaire
- Advised Aspen Insurance on its Peregrine Reinsurance ILS vehicle and fund raisings
- Willis Securities, Inc. in Windmill II Re DAC’s €100 million catastrophe bond offering sponsored by Achmea Reinsurance Company N.V.
- Fidelis, in its several catastrophe bond offerings of, in aggregate, more than $1 billion via Herbie Re Ltd.
- MS Amlin, in several institutional private placements of preference shares by Viribus
- Lancashire Capital in multiple institutional private placements of preference shares by Kinesis
Mergers and Acquisitions
- Advised Third Point-owned Malibu Life in its all-share combination with London-listed Third Point Investors Limited
- Advised Fidelis Insurance Holdings Limited in the agreement to create and spin-off its Managing General Underwriter business with funding from Capital Z Partners, The Travelers Companies, Inc., Further Global Capital Management, Blackstone and Alfa Insurance
- Take-Two Interactive Software in the proposed takeover of London-listed Codemasters for approximately $994 million in cash and Take-Two stock
- FIS in its $42 billion merger with Worldpay, Inc., a global leader in eCommerce and payments
- Advised Fidelis Insurance Holdings on its equity capital raises implemented by rights offers to shareholders and private placements with The Travelers Companies, Inc. and ADIA
- Advised Carlson Capital on its sale of Barbican Group Holdings Limited to Arch Capital Group Ltd
- Advised RenaissanceRe on the sale of RenaissanceRe (UK) Limited, its UK run-off business, to AXA Liabilities Managers
- Advised OSG Billing, a portfolio company of Aquiline Capital Partners, on the acquisition of Communisis PLC, a communications and marketing outsourcing company listed on the London Stock Exchange
- Advised Aquiline Capital Partners on its agreement to sell Simply Business, which operates in the UK's insurtech space, to The Travelers Companies, Inc. for approximately $490 million
- Advised RenaissanceRe Holdings on its co-investment with Apollo Global Management in Catalina Holdings Limited
Credentials
Education
University of Law London, LL.B., 2014 University of Oxford, B.A., 2012