David M. Wilf is a partner in the New York office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. Mr. Wilf’s practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, strategic alliances and general corporate matters. He is Co-Chair of the Firm’s Fashion, Retail and Consumer Products Practice Group. Mr. Wilf has worked on both coasts of the United States, in London and in Tokyo with a Japanese firm, has represented United States entities in Europe, Asia, Latin America and Africa in acquisitions, divestitures and joint ventures and non-U.S. entities in similar types of domestic and international transactions, in addition to his general domestic U.S. practice. Mr. Wilf has extensive experience in technology, satellite, consumer products and Bankruptcy Code Section 363 bankruptcy acquisitions. He also works regularly in the area of private equity and represents several secondary funds in their investment activities. Mr. Wilf is admitted in both California and New York.
Mr. Wilf received his Juris Doctor in 1982 from Hastings College of the Law and his undergraduate degree in 1979 from the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated with honors.
Representative Clients and Transactions
Coty Inc.: Acquisition of Philosophy, a skincare and cosmetics company, from The Carlyle Group and the acquisition of OPI Products, a manufacturer and marketer of nail care products. Representation of Coty in connection with investment in Coty by two private equity firms.
SES Global S.A.: Equity financing of O3b Networks, developer of a satellite-based global Internet backbone for telecommunications providers and Internet service providers in emerging markets, acquisition of New Skies Satellites for $1.2 billion, tax-free disposition to GE of various satellite businesses for $1.3 billion and other matters.
Borse Dubai: Acquisition of a 28% stake in the London Stock Exchange for $1.7 billion, $5.2 billion tender for OMX and swap of OMX for a 28% direct and indirect interest in NASDAQ, together with license of NASDAQ name and technology to and investment by NASDAQ in Borse Dubai.
PanAmSat: Most of its major acquisitions, financings and joint ventures around the world, including its merger with Hughes and sale to KKR, as well as securities filings and general corporate matters.
InterMedia: Both general corporate and deal representation of InterMedia, including its acquisitions from Lin of its Puerto Rican TV stations, sale of certain of those stations to Caribevision and purchase from Primedia of certain outdoor titles and related assets.
Dubai Financial: Representation of Dubai Financial in attempt to acquire a U.S.-based financial services company out of bankruptcy.
Colgate Palmolive: Large number of acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures and other transactions and corporate matters over the past 15 years, both domestically and internationally, in Europe, Africa, Asia, the United States and Latin America.
Charter: Major settlement and $1 billion in cable divestures.
Wiley & Sons: Assisted in certain acquisition transactions for this publisher.
TBC: Representation of TBC special committee with Dennis Friedman in its $1.3 billion sale to Sumitomo.
Confidential Client: Representation of leading manufacturer of performance materials and specialty chemicals in connection with certain European divestitures.
PricewaterhouseCoopers US: Disposition of its technology consulting business to IBM (including representation in previous planned disposition through an IPO), its business restructuring group to FTI and other matters.
Silver Lake Partners: Major investment in WorldCom, including co-investment and shareholder arrangements with MatlinPatterson.
Southern Cross: Representation in numerous investments in Latin America ranging from consumer products to telecommunications industries.
Mr. Wilf has had extensive experience in Japan and working with Japanese clients in the United States and abroad. He was seconded to Nagashima & Ohno (now Nagashima & Tsunematsu), 1985–1986.
- Represented Unisys in the merger of the former Burrough’s wholly owned Japanese subsidiary with the former Sperry joint venture, Nippon Univac KK, forming Nihon Unisys.
- Represented many Japanese companies, such as Fujitsu, Ricoh and others in inbound investments into the U.S. and Europe, including Fujitsu’s purchase of ICL, and U.S. companies in joint ventures and inbound investments into Japan.
- Represented Moore Business Forms in the restructuring of its investment in its publicly traded joint venture with Toppan Insastsu in Japan, Toppan-Moore, from which Moore received in two separate transactions over $400 million for its investment.
- Represented Kodak in its purchase of its 90-year distributorship in Japan from Nagase Sangyo for $550 million.
Mr. Wilf also represented Moore Corporation in all of its major transactions from the mid-1990s to 2000, including its strategic alliance with JetForm, public acquisition of Peak Technologies; unwind of its Japanese joint venture with Toppan Printing Company; its hostile acquisition attempt for Wallace; negotiations concerning various other major potential business combinations; and numerous other transactions in the printing, electronic form, networking and database industries. Mr. Wilf has also worked in and represented numerous technology companies, from start-ups to large computer companies, in merger and acquisition, joint venture, strategic alliance and distributorship transactions around the world.