Full Profile
Laura is a Partner in Clyde & Co's international projects and construction group, with a focus on PPP and infrastructure projects. Laura has a wealth of experience advising project consortia, funders, contractors and service providers on a wide range of projects, including healthcare, education, transport and social housing. Laura has a strong expertise in the operational aspects of PPPs, in particular in relation to complex variations, commercial settlements and service provider replacements.
Laura is recognised as a ‘Next Generation Partner’ in the Legal 500 2024 and an ‘Band 2’ Ranked Lawyer in Chambers 2025. She was also a finalist at the Inspirational Women in Law Awards 2021.
Clients say “Laura consistently delivers excellent levels of service. She is knowledgeable across all aspects of PPP/PFI, delivering concise, considered and pragmatic advice in a personable warm manner”.
Laura regularly hosts training workshops for her clients across a range of issues, including critical risk management in operational projects. Laura is currently focused on advising clients on preparing for the expiry and handback of PPP projects.
Within Clyde & Co, Laura is the Co-Chair of GECCO (gender equality at C&Co) and a member of ACED (achieving cultural and ethnic diversity).
Experience
- Advising a bidding consortium on a healthcare PPP project in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- Advising the service provider up to financial close on Irish higher education PPP projects.
- Advising the facilities maintenance provider on its obligations relating to handback of a UK transport PPP project.
- Advising the equity investors on construction defects arising at various UK PPP hospitals.
- Advising the equipment service provider on a healthcare PPP in the United Arab Emirates
- Advising the sponsors and equity investors on clean energy variations at a UK housing PFI
- Advising the equity investors on the replacement of service providers at UK education PPP projects.
- Advising the lenders in relation to variations to a PPP schools project in the UK.
- Advising the lenders in relation to the project financing of a hospital project in the Gambia.
"Laura Coates is a key figure for PPP/PFI advice, regularly acting for lenders and contractors across a wide range of assets, particularly social infrastructure."
Legal 500 UK, 2025
"Laura Coates is the partner who has run the transaction support team. Her depth of knowledge of the contract documents is exhaustive and her advice has always been timely and efficient."
Legal 500 UK, 2025
