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Paul Smith

Partner
Head of the CMS Energy, Projects and Construction Group

Portrait ofPaul Smith

Paul Smith

Partner
Head of the CMS Energy, Projects and Construction Group

Contact
CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang LLP
Cannon Place
78 Cannon Street
London
EC4N 6AF
United Kingdom
Languages English

Paul Smith is Head of the CMS Energy, Projects and Construction (EPC) Group and Co-head of the firm’s Infrastructure & Projects Group. He leads an international team of over 200 lawyers.

He has extensive experience advising sponsors, funders and contractors in relation to infrastructure projects that are typically funded on a project finance basis (including those that adopt models such as PFI, PPP and NPD) in a variety of sectors and jurisdictions including defence, custodial, education, housing, health, roads and utility infrastructure. 

More recently, he has been advising in relation to projects where parties are in dispute or the projects are in distress. 

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"He's very calm and collegial."

Chambers, 2024

"Paul is pragmatic in his advice, he's quick to analyse and understand the issues and is never fazed by complexity."

Chambers, 2023

"[Paul] Smith is credited with being “extremely down to earth and easy to do a deal with, so you can be confident that you’ll have a straightforward transaction.” "

Chambers, 2009

"[Paul Smith] is credited with being “an exceptional lawyer” "

Legal 500, 2015

"He's very calm and collegial."

Chambers, 2024

"Paul is pragmatic in his advice, he's quick to analyse and understand the issues and is never fazed by complexity."

Chambers, 2023

"[Paul] Smith is credited with being “extremely down to earth and easy to do a deal with, so you can be confident that you’ll have a straightforward transaction.” "

Chambers, 2009

"[Paul Smith] is credited with being “an exceptional lawyer” "

Legal 500, 2015

Relevant experience

  • Funders and/or sponsors in relation to the Dumfries & Galloway, Papworth, Alder Hey, The Royal Liverpool, CHUM (Montreal), Walsgrave, North Staffs, Forth Valley and Pembury NHS PFI / NPD or Canadian P3 projects.
  • Sponsors in relation to health and custodial projects in the Czech Republic.
  • A sponsor in relation to the Thames Tideway project.
  • Aspire Defence in relation to the Allenby & Connaught MoD PFI project.
  • Sponsors in relation to the Building Schools for the Future projects in Bristol, Kent, South Tyneside, Derbyshire and Cambridgeshire.
  • Laing O’Rourke in relation to the Priority Schools Building Programme projects.
  • Carillion / Clinicenta in relation to the Independent Sector Treatment Centres in London and Hertfordshire.
  • Funders and/or contractors in relation to social housing projects in Leeds, Manchester and Barking.
  • Laing O’Rourke in relation to the award winning social housing projects in Barking.
  • Sponsors and/or funders in relation to DBFO road projects in the UK and Ireland.
  • FCC in relation to waste projects in the UK.
  • The Contingency Planning Team in relation to the preparation of the Monitor procured review of the Peterborough and Stamford Foundation Trust.
  • Sponsors in relation to custodial projects in West Yorkshire, Exeter and London.
  • Sponsors, funders and contractors on a variety of projects that are in the construction or operational phase, including variations, market testing, disputes, refinancings or secondary market disposals.  More recently, this has involved advising in relation to more material disputes; principally in the health sector.
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Memberships & Roles

  • Member, The Royal Institution of Quantity Surveyors
  • Member, The Law Society of England and Wales
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Publications

  • Paul has contributed a chapter on health PPPs in Europe included in a book on PPPs published in October 2006.
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Education

  • 2000 - LPC, College of Law
  • 1997 - LLB, John Moores University, Liverpool
  • 1995 – Associate of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors
  • 1992 - BSc Quantity Surveying, Salford University, Salford
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Expertise

Feed

14/09/2023
White Fraiser Report: what next?
The White Fraiser report, published on 20 July 2023, was commissioned by the Infrastructure and Projects Authority to explore the status of behaviours, relationships and disputes across the PFI sector. ...
Law-Now Infrastructure & Projects
25/08/2023
Infrastructure
Key features of the new rules will include: exclusion grounds and debarment; the future of PQQs/SQs; new contract award procedures; inclusion of ESG and social value criteria; new rules on frameworks; changes to debriefing, standstill and remedies; and the publication of contract information and no­tices. Wheth­er you looking at new projects as a procuring authority, or as an investor, contractor or consultant, our insights into the new Act and its implementation over the next six months will help you address these challenges.
Publication
24/07/2023
CMS bolsters its Energy & Infrastructure practice with Environment partner...
International law firm CMS has bolstered its Energy & Infrastructure team with the appointment of Sinéad Oryszczuk as partner in its London office. Sinéad has extensive environmental and product stewardship...
News
26/06/2023
Our Mining & Mineral Practice
Sector-focused legal advice for the full lifecycle of your mining project From preliminary negotiations with government bodies to secure crucial mining titles, through to project development, financing...
Publication
10/05/2023
CMS wins Legal Advisor of the Year at Partnership Awards
The Infrastructure Group at CMS was named Legal Advisor of the Year for the third year running at the prestigious Partnership Awards held on 4 May 2023. The awards, now in their 20th year, celebrate excellence...
News
04/08/2022
Building Safety Act 2022: considerations for the Healthcare Sector
Following the Grenfell Tower tragedy in 2017 the Government commissioned an independent review of the building regulations around fire safety. The review was led by Dame Judith Hackitt and concluded...
Law-Now Life Sciences & Healthcare
28/07/2022
CMS helps the NeuConnect project reach Financial Close
With ongoing support from CMS, NeuConnect Britain Limited and NeuConnect Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG (together NeuConnect) have achieved financial close on their £2.4bn (EUR 2.8bn) electricity in­ter­con­nect­or...
News
21/06/2022
Guidance on pathways to net zero for assets delivered under PPP contracts:...
Much has been written about handback of PPP assets as some of the long term PPP contracts approach expiry. Scottish Futures Trust’s (“SFT”) latest guidance has a different slant. As handback approaches...
Law-Now Infrastructure & Projects
20/05/2022
CMS picks up two coveted awards at the Partnerships Awards 2022
International law firm CMS has been named “Legal Advisor of the Year” and winner of the “Culture and Diversity” Award at the Partnerships Awards 2022, held on Thursday, 19 May at The Park Lane...
News
25/01/2022
Our global infrastructure and energy practice
We are delighted to present a selection of our infrastructure and energy credentials from across the globe. We have drawn on the expertise of our infrastructure and energy teams to demonstrate our ability...
Publication
01/03/2021
CMS Infrastructure: The Road to Recovery Podcast
Welcome to the CMS Infrastructure: The Road to Recovery podcast and video series. A series of short ‘in conversation with’ interviews with CMS partners, lawyers and their clients on the future of...
Publication
02/12/2019
Bridging Continents, the 2019 CMS Infrastructure Index is released
In Bridging Continents, the 2019 CMS Infrastructure Index, we see that infrastructure is connecting people worldwide at an unrelenting pace. With sustainability, innovation and digital trans­form­a­tion...
Law-Now Energy & Climate Change
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