Portrait ofPaul Smith

Paul Smith

Partner
Head of the CMS Energy, Projects and Construction Group

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. 

more less

"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.
more less

Memberships & Roles

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

Publications

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

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
more less

Feed

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...
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...
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...
27/11/2019
CMS Infrastructure Index reveals positive trends in infrastructure sector
Infrastructure Index reveals positive trends in infrastructure sector CMS publishes its biennial global Infrastructure Index which ranks 50 countries in order of infrastructure investment at­tract­ive­ness­Ger­many...
07/11/2019
Public Procurement Forum in Amsterdam
We are pleased to invite you to the sixth CMS Public Procurement Forum that will be held at the Eye Museum in Amsterdam on 7 November 2019. The forum will discuss public private partnerships (PPP) in...
28/08/2019
Connected Futures - the implications of technological trends on Scotland’s...
In our Global Infrastructure Report “Connected Future” we highlighted the technology – driven transformation of the infrastructure sector. The Scottish Government has recently published “The Implications...
28/05/2019
Infrastructure Finance Review
On 13 March 2019, HM Treasury and the Infrastructure and Projects Authority, published a consultation to kick-start the “In­fra­struc­ture Finance Review” (the “Con­sulta­tion”) to assess the future...
22/11/2018
Connected Future: investment opportunities in the radically changing in­fra­struc­ture...
Tech­no­logy-driv­en transformations are not only disrupting our everyday lives, but are also radically transforming the infrastructure sector. On the one hand, innovation is driving an upgrade of existing...
21/11/2018
Connected Future
Tech­no­logy-driv­en transformations are not only disrupting our everyday lives but are also radically transforming the infrastructure sector. On the one hand, innovation is driving an upgrade of existing...
03/08/2018
TCC Bars Adjudication Proceedings for Companies in Liquidation
A recent TCC decision has ruled that adjudication proceedings cannot be brought by companies in liquidation in relation to financial claims under a construction contract. The decision will have considerable...
08/06/2018
CMS Infrastructure Index – guide to global investment hot spots
Creating an attractive environment for investors in infrastructure is no easy task. Politics and policy can make or break private participation and the flow of investment – something that has never...
05/01/2018
New infrastructure performance plan published
The Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) made its New Year’s resolutions early by publishing the Transforming Infrastructure Performance plan (TIP) on 6 December 2017. The TIP sets ambitious...