Focuses on cross-border mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and private equity driven transactions.
Has advised leading private equity houses and financial sponsors on a number of complex cross-border transactions in the energy and telecom sectors in Europe, Asia, Africa, South America and the United States.
Advises on a variety of secondary transactions, including fund restructurings.

David advises on cross-border corporate and private equity driven transactions and he has worked on a variety of secondary transactions for some of the most successful GPs in this space. David was seconded to Carlyle as Acting General Counsel (EMEA) – Investments from January 2022 to March 2023.

David has advised on a number of high profile corporate transactions and is part of a team that has garnered prestigious recognition from major legal directories as well as awards. Legal 500 quoted client feedback on David’s “attentive, detail-oriented approach” and that he is “impressive in structuring complex transactions quickly and efficiently”.

Representative Work

Advised Carlyle on an €800m strategic preferred equity investment in Your.World, a leading European online solutions provider, alongside Ares.
Advised Carlyle on its acquisition of an upstream oil and gas company with exploration, appraisal and development assets offshore the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark.
Advised Carlyle on its disposal of an oil and gas exploration and production company with onshore assets in Tunisia and Romania.
Advised Emerging Capital Partners on its acquisition of Burger King South Africa from Grand Parade Investments.
Advised Intrum, one of Europe’s largest non-performing loan servicers, in its agreement to sell a material portion of its investment portfolio across 13 jurisdictions to Cerberus for more than €1 billion.
Advised Coller Capital on a $829 Million GP-led secondary transaction for Permira IV, a closed private equity fund.
Advised Adelis Equity Partners on a €430-million Continuation Vehicle for Presto AB (Presto) and HVD Group (HVD).

M&A

Advised Mail.ru, the leading Internet and IT company in Russia, on the formation of a joint venture with Alibaba Group, a global digital commerce company, PJSC MegaFon, a pan-Russian operator of digital opportunities, and the Russian Direct Investment Fund, Russia’s sovereign wealth fund.
Advised BC Energy Investments on the formation of the largest privately owned integrated energy company in Argentina through the combination of BC Energy Investments’ and BP’s interests in Pan American Energy, Argentina’s second largest producer of oil and gas, and BC Energy Investments’ interest in refiner and marketer Axion Energy.
Advised VEON in relation to the $2.6 billion disposal by its Egyptian-listed subsidiary Global Telecom Holding of a 51 percent stake in Omnium Telecom Algeria to the Algerian National Investment Fund.
Advised USM, a leader in the Russian-speaking Internet market in the sale of its stake in Mail.Ru to MegaFon for $740 million.
Advised VEON in relation to MegaFon’s acquisition of a 50 percent stake in Russian mobile retailer Euroset for $1.2 billion.
Advised Bridas on its agreement to acquire joint venture partner BP plc’s stake in Pan American Energy for $7.059 billion (one of The Wall Street Journal’s Deal Journal Most Important M&A Deals of 2010).
Advised Bridas on its formation of a joint venture with the China National Offshore Oil Corporation for $3.1 billion (one of The Wall Street Journal’s Deal Journal Most Important M&A Deals of 2010).
Advised AF Telecom on the approximately $8.5 billion shareholder restructuring of MegaFon, Russia’s second largest mobile phone operator.

“David Sewell is excellent. He knows how private equity firms work and their focus on deals. He is an invaluable resource for us when we sell/buy from PE. He also has an amazing ability to deal with complex issues and structures quickly and efficiently.”

Legal 500 UK, 2025