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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. He regularly represents issuers and underwriters in capital markets transactions, including high yield debt, equity and hybrid securities. In addition, David advises on liability management transactions. David also has particular experience in the (re)insurance sector. 

David is ranked by IFLR1000 UK as a Rising Star Partner for Capital Markets: Debt. He is also recognised as a Key Lawyer by The Legal 500 UK (2026) for Debt capital markets, Equity capital markets – mid-large cap, High yield and Insurance: corporate and regulatory where a client notes that his “indispensable technical acumen elevates [the team’s] strategic advice, ensuring complex issues are resolved with expertise.” 

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 and its portfolio company Solenis in a $2.5 billion high-yield bond offering

  • 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

Events & Speaking Engagements

Speaking Engagement
Life ILS Conference 2025
Speaking Engagement
Life ILS Conference | 2024