David A. Martland

My focus

I counsel private and public companies and healthcare not-for-profits on the full range of corporate matters. I also represent a variety of private equity and venture funds in connection with their investments. In addition, I represent corporate and healthcare clients on antitrust matters.

I also serve on the boards of several cultural organizations. I am the chair of the board of trustees of Historic New England, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving New England buildings, landscapes, and objects dating from the 17th century to the present.

I headed Nixon Peabody’s Corporate Transactional practice from 2009 to early 2019. I currently serve on the board of directors of TerraLex®, a worldwide network of more than 155 leading independent law firms in 100 countries and 44 U.S. states, of which Nixon Peabody has been a member for over two decades.

I clerked for Walter R. Mansfield, United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

Representative experience

To give a flavor of the types of matters David handles, select, recent publicly-disclosed examples of transactions on which he and the Nixon Peabody team assisted include representing:

• Merck KGaA, Germany-based multinational science and technology company, and its subsidiaries and affiliates, in numerous corporate transactions
• Refresco Group N.V., the world’s largest independent bottler of soft drinks and fruit juices, in its acquisition of Cott Corporation’s worldwide bottling business for $1.25 billion, and multiple other acquisitions
• Sime Darby Plantation, a Malaysian conglomerate, which, among other things, is one of the world’s largest palm oil producers, in a number of United States matters
• Raptor Group, a diversified financial services firm, and its affiliates, in connection with multiple private equity and venture capital investments
• Venture funds managed by North Atlantic Capital in multiple investments

Recognition

In 2021, for the fifth year in a row, David was recognized by The Legal 500 as one of the 18 “Leading Lawyers” in middle-market M&A (below $500 million) in the United States. He has also been recognized for exceptional standing in the legal community in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business since 2006; in The Best Lawyers in America® since 2007 (Antitrust Law, Corporate Law, Healthcare Law, and Venture Capital Law); and as a “recognized” lawyer in The Legal 500 U.S. since 2010. David also holds an AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rating™ from Martindale Hubbell®, the highest possible rating for ethics and legal ability, and is a winner of the International Law Office Client Choice Awards for M&A. The Client Choice Awards recognize “law firms and partners around the world that stand apart for the excellent client care they provide and the quality of their service.” David is described in the 2018 edition of The Legal 500 as “a great business partner—he is a very realistic lawyer who…takes responsibility for his decisions.”

Looking ahead

The economy is showing encouraging strength with a strong domestic M&A and investment market. The U.S. experienced a substantial decline (49% by some metrics) in in-bound foreign investment and M&A activity in 2020, however. It will be interesting to see if a change in administrations will reverse that pattern. I expect the antitrust area to remain very active with continued vigorous U.S. and international enforcement.