Sir David studied law at Cambridge University, was called to the Bar in 1974, practising in company law and corporate insolvency, and took Silk in 1992. He became a High Court judge (Chancery Division) in 2003, and has been a Competition Appeal Tribunal chair (2004) and chair of the Insolvency Rules Committee (2005-2015).
He was made a Lord Justice of Appeal in 2015, retiring in 2021 after reaching the then mandatory retirement age of 70.