David Perkins

DAVID PERKINS maintains a diverse practice that focuses on advising private equity sponsors and other private capital investors and asset managers on all aspects of their transactions, capital raising activities, and business and investment structures. Dave has received numerous accolades for his work, including being recognized for Private Equity Buyouts: Large Deals, 500m+ by Legal 500 US (2024), as “Dealmaker of the Year” by the New York Law Journal (2023), and as a Private Equity “MVP” by Law360 (2024). IFLR1000 has ranked him in Mergers and Acquisitions and Real Estate Acquisitions in the United States (2019–2024) and Lawdragon listed him as one of the “500 Leading Dealmakers in America” (2021–2024).

Dave’s transactional practice includes representing both large cap and middle market private equity sponsors, as well as their portfolio companies, in connection with complex transactions, including leveraged buyouts, take-privates, dispositions, spinoffs, joint ventures, minority and other structured investments, special situations restructurings, and general corporate matters. Dave also advises asset managers on the structuring and formation of investment funds and other investment vehicles across a wide variety of asset classes, including private equity, private credit, and real estate. He has extensive experience with mergers, acquisitions, GP stakes, seed transactions, and other transactions involving asset managers.

Dave has represented clients across a wide range of industries, such as insurance, asset management, wealth management, aerospace and defense, food and beverage, manufacturing, engineering, business services, renewable energy, infrastructure and real estate. His clients have included BDT&MSD, Lindsay Goldberg, Mubadala Capital, Apollo Global Management, Blue Owl Capital, Blue Torch Capital, Brookfield Asset Management, White Mountains Insurance Group, and their respective portfolio companies and affiliates.

Dave has served on the Private Investment Funds Committee of the New York City Bar Association and was selected to serve on Law360’s Private Equity Editorial Advisory Board in 2022.

Before his legal career, Dave served as an officer in the United States Army in various infantry assignments, including with the 82nd Airborne Division and the 25th Infantry Division. He was later recalled to active duty in 2008 to serve as an embedded advisor to the Afghan National Police in southern Afghanistan, ultimately attaining the rank of Major.

• BDT & MSD and its affiliates and portfolio companies in connection with numerous investments, investment funds and other transactions, including the combination of MSD Partners and BDT Capital Partners to form BDT & MSD, BDT & MSD’s AU$1.6 billion investment in DBG Health, a leading Australian beauty and pharmaceutical company, BDT & MSD’s take-private acquisition of Weber (NYSE: WEBR), valuing Weber at US$3.7 billion, MSD Partners’ preferred equity investment in the Miami Marlins as part of the US$1.2 billion acquisition of the Miami Marlins by an ownership group led by Bruce Sherman and Derek Jeter the formation of BDT Capital Partners Fund 4, which raised US$14 billion of capital commitments, BDT Capital Partners Fund 3, which raised US$9.1 billion of capital commitments, and BDT Capital Partners Fund II, which raised US$6.2 billion in capital commitments.
• Lindsay Goldberg and its portfolio companies in numerous transactions, including the formation of Amentum (NYSE: AMTM) through the US$2.405 billion acquisition of AECOM’s Management Services business, Amentum’s subsequent acquisitions of DynCorp International and take private of PAE, and Amentum’s Reverse Morris Trust merger with Jacobs’ Critical Mission Solutions and Cyber and Intelligence businesses, the US$850 million acquisition of ARYZTA’s North American bakery business (now Aspire Bakeries), the acquisition of Golden State Foods, a majority investment in Summit Interconnect and Summit Interconnect’s acquisition of Royal Circuit Solutions, the acquisition of a majority interest in Pike Electric, a strategic partnership with Kroger to form PearlRock Partners, the formation of Golden West Packaging Group through the acquisitions of numerous packaging companies including Fleetwood-Fibre Packaging & Graphics, Allpak Container, Calpine Containers, Berry Pack and St. Worth Containers, the acquisition of The Kleinfelder Group and the sale of Liquid Tech Solutions.
• Mubadala Capital and their affiliates and portfolio companies in multiple transactions, including its acquisition of a majority equity interest in Arrive Logistics, a North American truckload logistics company, and the acquisition by Corient, a leading multi-family office, of Summit Trail Advisors, a registered investment advisor managing more than US$21 billion in assets.
• Apollo Global Management and their affiliates and portfolio companies in multiple transactions, including Aspen Insurance (NYSE: AHL) in its US$3.5 billion acquisition by Sompo Holdings and Venerable in its acquisition of SunAmerica Asset Management, LLC, as part of its US$51 billion variable annuity reinsurance transaction with Corebridge.
• Brookfield Asset Management and their affiliates in numerous transactions, including Brookfield Renewable’s strategic partnership with Cameco to acquire Westinghouse for US$8 billion, Brookfield Reinsurance’s US$4.3 billion acquisition of American Equity Investment Life (NYSE: AEL), Brookfield Renewable’s $2.8 billion acquisition of Duke Energy Renewables and Brookfield Renewable’s US$1.58 billion acquisition of the remaining stake it did not already own in TerraForm Power (NASDAQ: TERP).
• Blue Owl Capital and their affiliates in multiple transactions, including its investment in Amergin Asset Management and Fifth Season Investments’ US$220 million acquisition of Fifth Season Financial and the life insurance investment assets of Chapford Capital II and Chapford Diversified Strategies Fund.
• White Mountains Insurance Group (NYSE: WTM) in numerous transactions, including the US$300 million acquisition of a majority stake in Bamboo, its minority investment in Elementum, a leading asset manager of insurance-linked securities, its majority investment in MediaAlpha, the subsequent sale of a significant minority stake to Insignia Capital and MediaAlpha’s US$202.1 million initial public offering, the US$388 million acquisition of NSM Insurance Group and the US$1.775 billion sale of NSM to Carlyle, the acquisition of a US$250 million investment in Kudu Investment Management from Oaktree Capital, and the sale of TRANZACT to Clayton, Dubilier & Rice.

Some of the above matters were handled prior to joining Sidley.

• Law 360, Private Equity Editorial Advisory Board, 2022
• New York City Bar Association, Private Investment Funds Committee, 2017–2020