Partner

David Roberts

Languages

English
German
French

David is a corporate specialist with 25 years' experience advising on private M&A, private equity, venture capital and restructuring transactions. Over his career, he has advised clients across a range of sectors including technology, media, life sciences, retail, financial services and sport (football) but concentrates more and more on the hospitality and leisure sector where he heads the firm’s leisure practice and is acknowledged as one of the country’s most respected advisers and commentators.

His leisure practice spans the vast leisure spectrum to include acting for hotel, restaurant, gym, theatre, travel, bar, private members club, visitor attraction and catering (stadium and corporate) clients as well as tech companies involved in the virtual / cloud kitchen space.

In particular, his restaurant practice involves him representing owners, operators and investors of some of the most iconic premium dining, casual dining and early-stage restaurant and bar brands in the UK.

David is qualified both in the UK and Australia, where he earned his BA/LLB and worked with Corrs Chambers Westgarth .

Awards & Recognitions

01 –

Quote

"David is extolled by sources as "incredibly well connected in leisure matters and excellent at brokering deals." He advises on the corporate finance aspects of the leisure industry for both funders and owner-operators."

Chambers 2017
Quote

"David is "very proactive, enthusiastic and responds very quickly," say sources. He advises on corporate matters for hotels and leisure industry clients. Another interviewee enthuses: "He is extremely well known in the sector and knows a lot of the key protagonists, especially in the hotel space"."

Chambers 2016
Quote

"David is recommended for his "great technical ability, unparalleled people skills and superb client advice." He is further praised for his industry knowledge, with one client noting: "He knows the sector and everyone in it - he's very useful for building up a stronger presence in the market because he will introduce you to the right people and knows where you're heading in the future"."

Chambers 2015
Quote

"David (Spotlight table) is a key contact for India-related work. Sources note that "we're always impressed with his understanding of on-the-ground intelligence in India - he's always clued into what's happening in the market"."

Chambers 2013
Quote

"Sources observe that "he always has the client's best interests in mind, appreciates when advice is needed promptly and ensures he meets set deadlines." He is the lead partner handling many of the firm's highlights, and recently advised Michelin-starred London restaurant Hakkasan on its Indian master franchise agreement."

Chambers 2013
Quote

"David was selected to the 2015 "London Super Lawyers" in the Corporate Finance category and was selected by his peers for inclusion in the 2016 Fifth Edition of The Best Lawyers in the United Kingdom in Leisure & Hospitality Law.

London Super Lawyers/Best Lawyers
Quote

"CMS have a fabulous reputation in the leisure industry and David Roberts never ceases to deliver ideas and leadership to our relationship. It has been great to work with his team which impressed across the board with their dedication and commitment. We look forward to growing with them going forward."

Des Gunewardena, D&D Chairman and CEO
Quote

"Madison occupies a stunning site and I am sure will prove a fabulous investment for us. The circumstances surrounding the transaction were complex and made the acquisition process a bit more protracted than we are used to. Our lawyers needed to have cool heads and a real can do attitude to get the deal done- and that's what we got from David Roberts and the team at CMS."

Des Gunewardena, D&D Chairman and CEO
Quote

"The Company has not done many M&A deals and thus it was a great comfort to have David Roberts and his CMS team on board following them playing a key role on our IPO. They guided us through the process from start to finish which led to a very successful completion."

Andy Naylor, CFO and Commercial Director, Tortilla Mexican Grill plc
Quote

"We were recommended to talk to David Roberts and CMS by our corporate finance advisers who suggested he was one of the leading corporate lawyers in the restaurant sector and we were pleased to ultimately appoint him and work with his team, who really looked after us and our interests on this key deal.”

Clive Hetherington, Co-Founder Vacherin Limited
Quote

"This was by no way an easy transaction and the shareholders and management felt comforted to have CMS on board as they really have become the go to advisers in the London restaurant space for deals like these. David Roberts and Gordon Ker have the right blend of hard-won deal experience and the soft skills to make complex transactions like this enjoyable."

Alex McLauchlan, Finance Director, Hawksmoor
Quote

"As a fast growing business rolling out concepts simultaneously in the UK and the US, SOP has a complex capital structure and needed a legal team that understands the leisure sector and is confident of raising multi-denominated capital under pressure. For me David Roberts and his team at CMS are the market leaders in our space and once again they were excellent."

Toby Harris, CEO of State of Play Hospitality Limited
Quote

"David and CMS are acknowledged to have one of the leading leisure teams in the country and they did not disappoint. We are very excited to have been able to close our first deal as a team and we look forward to many more deals together."

Paul Campbell, founder of Hill Capital
Quote

"The sale of the Club has been a drawn out affair due to the complexities involved in all football sales. We chose CMS on the back of their specialist football M&A expertise and I have got to say that, man and boy, they were fabulous."

Russell Bartlett, Owner of Hull City Tigers
Quote

"We know David and his CMS team have a huge presence in restaurants and are one of the leading IPO firms in the country, so we found their combination of skills to be compelling. The whole team worked tirelessly and were an integral part of what we feel has been a very successful debut in the listed environment.”

Richard Morris, CEO, Tortilla Mexican Grill plc

Relevant experience

The company on the acquisition of Chilango Ltd by Tortilla Mexican Grill PLC.
The company on the IPO of casual dining group Tortilla Mexican Grill PLC.
The shareholders and management team on the sale of D&D London to LDC.
The shareholders and management team on the sale of Hawksmoor to Graphite Capital.
The company on a Series B investment for State of Play Hospitality Limited.
The company on a Series A and secondary sale by Slerp Limited.
The company on F&B management contracts for White Rabbit Projects in St Andrews, Troon, Slieve Donard.
The company on the acquisition by Seminole Tribe of Florida of Hard Rock Café.
The company on a VC funding round for Vagabond Wine bars.
The company on a VC funding round for Crosstown Dough.
The company on the CVA of Wasabi restaurant Group.
The company on a rollout of licence and consultancy agreements by Time Out Markets in gateway cities around the world.
The shareholders on the sale of The Good Life Eatery restaurant group.
The company on a crowdfunding round for Daisy Green restaurant group.
The company on the acquisition by Sun Capital of Strada restaurants.
The shareholders on the sale of Vacherin Limited (the contract catering business) to CH&Co.
Deliciously Ella in relation to various fundraising and strategic projects.
The company on the acquisition by dnata www.travelrepublic.com.
The company on the acquisition by dnata of Alpha Flight group from Autogrill.
Hill Capital on its acquisition of a stake in New World Pub Company.
Calculus Capital on investments into Chop'd and Benitos Hat.
The owners of Hull City Tigers on the sale of the club.
Purchase of majority stake in Hibernian FC to US businessman Ron Gordon.
The purchaser on the acquisition of Hibernian F.C. by US Businessman Ron Gordon.
The purchaser of a controlling stake in Italian football club Pisa S.C.
Setanta Sports on the sale of Setanta Australia to Al Jazeera.

Publications

David publishes thought pieces regularly in M&C Report in relation to corporate leisure topics
How to buy a Football Club, Wold Sports Law Report

Education

1993 – Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice, College of Law, Sydney, Australia
1992 – Bachelor of Arts (Political Science) and Laws, University of NSW, Sydney Australia
1986 – Rotary International Scholarship, Canada
1985 – St Leos College, Sydney, Australia

David is qualified both in the UK and Australia, where he earned his BA/LLB and worked with Corrs Chambers Westgarth

Awards & Recognitions

01 –

Quote

"David is extolled by sources as "incredibly well connected in leisure matters and excellent at brokering deals." He advises on the corporate finance aspects of the leisure industry for both funders and owner-operators."

Chambers 2017
Quote

"David is "very proactive, enthusiastic and responds very quickly," say sources. He advises on corporate matters for hotels and leisure industry clients. Another interviewee enthuses: "He is extremely well known in the sector and knows a lot of the key protagonists, especially in the hotel space"."

Chambers 2016
Quote

"David is recommended for his "great technical ability, unparalleled people skills and superb client advice." He is further praised for his industry knowledge, with one client noting: "He knows the sector and everyone in it - he's very useful for building up a stronger presence in the market because he will introduce you to the right people and knows where you're heading in the future"."

Chambers 2015
Quote

"David was selected to the 2015 "London Super Lawyers" in the Corporate Finance category and was selected by his peers for inclusion in the 2016 Fifth Edition of The Best Lawyers in the United Kingdom in Leisure & Hospitality Law.

London Super Lawyers/Best Lawyers
Quote

"CMS have a fabulous reputation in the leisure industry and David Roberts never ceases to deliver ideas and leadership to our relationship. It has been great to work with his team which impressed across the board with their dedication and commitment. We look forward to growing with them going forward."

Des Gunewardena, D&D Chairman and CEO
Quote

"Madison occupies a stunning site and I am sure will prove a fabulous investment for us. The circumstances surrounding the transaction were complex and made the acquisition process a bit more protracted than we are used to. Our lawyers needed to have cool heads and a real can do attitude to get the deal done- and that's what we got from David Roberts and the team at CMS."

Des Gunewardena, D&D Chairman and CEO
Quote

"The Company has not done many M&A deals and thus it was a great comfort to have David Roberts and his CMS team on board following them playing a key role on our IPO. They guided us through the process from start to finish which led to a very successful completion."

Andy Naylor, CFO and Commercial Director, Tortilla Mexican Grill plc
Quote

"We were recommended to talk to David Roberts and CMS by our corporate finance advisers who suggested he was one of the leading corporate lawyers in the restaurant sector and we were pleased to ultimately appoint him and work with his team, who really looked after us and our interests on this key deal.”

Clive Hetherington, Co-Founder Vacherin Limited
Quote

"This was by no way an easy transaction and the shareholders and management felt comforted to have CMS on board as they really have become the go to advisers in the London restaurant space for deals like these. David Roberts and Gordon Ker have the right blend of hard-won deal experience and the soft skills to make complex transactions like this enjoyable."

Alex McLauchlan, Finance Director, Hawksmoor
Quote

"As a fast growing business rolling out concepts simultaneously in the UK and the US, SOP has a complex capital structure and needed a legal team that understands the leisure sector and is confident of raising multi-denominated capital under pressure. For me David Roberts and his team at CMS are the market leaders in our space and once again they were excellent."

Toby Harris, CEO of State of Play Hospitality Limited
Quote

"David and CMS are acknowledged to have one of the leading leisure teams in the country and they did not disappoint. We are very excited to have been able to close our first deal as a team and we look forward to many more deals together."

Paul Campbell, founder of Hill Capital
Quote

"The sale of the Club has been a drawn out affair due to the complexities involved in all football sales. We chose CMS on the back of their specialist football M&A expertise and I have got to say that, man and boy, they were fabulous."

Russell Bartlett, Owner of Hull City Tigers
Quote

"We know David and his CMS team have a huge presence in restaurants and are one of the leading IPO firms in the country, so we found their combination of skills to be compelling. The whole team worked tirelessly and were an integral part of what we feel has been a very successful debut in the listed environment.”

Richard Morris, CEO, Tortilla Mexican Grill plc

Relevant experience

The company on the acquisition of Chilango Ltd by Tortilla Mexican Grill PLC.
The company on the IPO of casual dining group Tortilla Mexican Grill PLC.
The shareholders and management team on the sale of D&D London to LDC.
The shareholders and management team on the sale of Hawksmoor to Graphite Capital.
The company on a Series B investment for State of Play Hospitality Limited.
The company on a Series A and secondary sale by Slerp Limited.
The company on F&B management contracts for White Rabbit Projects in St Andrews, Troon, Slieve Donard.
The company on the acquisition by Seminole Tribe of Florida of Hard Rock Café.
The company on a VC funding round for Vagabond Wine bars.
The company on a VC funding round for Crosstown Dough.
The company on the CVA of Wasabi restaurant Group.
The company on a rollout of licence and consultancy agreements by Time Out Markets in gateway cities around the world.
The shareholders on the sale of The Good Life Eatery restaurant group.
The company on a crowdfunding round for Daisy Green restaurant group.
The company on the acquisition by Sun Capital of Strada restaurants.
The shareholders on the sale of Vacherin Limited (the contract catering business) to CH&Co.
Deliciously Ella in relation to various fundraising and strategic projects.
The company on the acquisition by dnata www.travelrepublic.com.
The company on the acquisition by dnata of Alpha Flight group from Autogrill.
Hill Capital on its acquisition of a stake in New World Pub Company.
Calculus Capital on investments into Chop'd and Benitos Hat.
The owners of Hull City Tigers on the sale of the club.
Purchase of majority stake in Hibernian FC to US businessman Ron Gordon.
The purchaser on the acquisition of Hibernian F.C. by US Businessman Ron Gordon.
The purchaser of a controlling stake in Italian football club Pisa S.C.
Setanta Sports on the sale of Setanta Australia to Al Jazeera.

Publications

David publishes thought pieces regularly in M&C Report in relation to corporate leisure topics
“How to buy a Football Club”, World Sports Law Report

Education

1993 – Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice, College of Law, Sydney, Australia
1992 – Bachelor of Arts (Political Science) and Laws, University of NSW, Sydney Australia
1986 – Rotary International Scholarship, Canada
1985 – St Leos College, Sydney, Australia

Practice Areas

Corporate Equity Capital Markets Mergers & Acquisitions

sectors

Consumer Products Hospitality, Travel & Leisure Hotels Private Equity TMT - Technology, Media & Telecommunications Technology

Insights

Global Reach

UK Pay Gap Report 2024

Insights

Global Reach

UK Pay Gap Report 2024

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David Roberts

Languages

Relevant experience

Publications

Education

Relevant experience

Publications

Education

Practice Areas

sectors

Insights by David

CMS advises Piper Private Equity on Yard Sale Pizza investment

CMS advises TDR Capital on its investment in Jollyes

CMS advises D&D London on acquisition by Calveton and Breal Capital

Highlights of our experience in Travel