Clare Brewer

Partner
T: +44 (0)1392 333991
F: +44 (0)1392 336991
c.brewer@ashfords.co.uk

Clare is a Partner in the Projects/PFI Team. She specialises in both the finance documents and project documents in PFI and project financings, covering a range of sectors acting for banks, public sector entities, project companies, sponsors and contractors.

Clare spent 14 years working in the City of London, the last 12 of them in the project finance department of international law firm Norton Rose, before joining Ashfords in 2008.

Recent experience includes:

• Bristol Leisure PFI - advising the lender on the project agreement, general commercial contracts and all finance documents in relation to this PFI project for the construction and operation of a leisure centre in Bristol with an anticipated value of circa £30 million. The project achieved financial close in April 2010;
  
• retained by a local authority to advise various school governing bodies in respect of their interests arising under a project for the replacement and/or upgrade of a number of schools Project in Derby. The Project will involve the consideration of various aspects of Building Schools for the Future/PFI procedures, education law and trust school issues;
• project events of default - advising a syndicate of lenders in relation to their rights following ongoing occurrences of events of default under the finance documents, as a result of ongoing construction difficulties, in respect of a PPP Project with several hundred million pounds' worth of debt;
• Omega Waste Water PPP Project, Northern Ireland - advising the lenders on the finance documents and shareholder documents in relation to the financing of waste water facilities in Northern Ireland. The Project achieved Financial Close in May 2007;
• Falkirk Schools PFI Refinancing - advising the lenders on the refinancing of an existing Project. This involved creating new finance documents, restructuring the project agreement and whitewashing a number of new companies which were required to be incorporated in order for the refinancing gain to be released to shareholders. The refinancing achieved Financial Close in August 2006;
• Bristol BSF - advising Partnerships for Schools Limited on the public sector investment arm's involvement in the first Building Schools for the Future PFI schools project to close. The Project achieved Financial Close in July 2006;
• Bristol LIFT (Scheme 1 and 2), Lambeth Southwark and Lewisham LIFT, Dudley LIFT, South West London LIFT, Ealing LIFT, Oxford LIFT, Bradford LIFT - advising various lenders to various sponsor consortia on both finance and project documents in relation to these LIFT projects which achieved Financial Closes between 2004 and 2006;
• Kent Schools, PFI - advising the sponsors and the lenders on the project agreement in relation to the financing of 6 schools in Kent. The Project achieved Financial Close in October 2005;
• Coventry Schools, PFI - advising the lenders on the finance documents in relation to the financing of school facilities in Coventry. The Project achieved Financial Close in December 2004;
• Project Orion, property financing - advising the lenders in relation to the financing of the purchase of commercial property in London. The Project achieved Financial Close in November 2003;
• Bedford Schools, PFI - advising the project company on shareholder documents in relation to the financing and construction of schools in Bedford;
• Islington Social Housing, PFI - advising the lenders on the finance documents in relation to the construction of social housing in Islington. The project achieved financial close in May 2003;
• Office of the Rail Regulator - advising the ORR on ongoing rail regulatory work, including industry consultation and track access agreement model clauses. This role spanned a two year period;
• London Underground, PPP - advising the lenders on the Service Contract and other project documents in relation to the £1.8 billion financing of Infraco JNP for the maintenance and upgrade of the Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly lines of the London Underground. The project achieved Financial Close in December 2002. This role spanned a two year period and was largely a full time project for me;
• Aluminium Smelter Plant, Iceland - advising one of the shareholders in a joint venture on various project documents (and the bankability of the same) in relation to the project financing of a $1.2 billion aluminium smelter plant in Iceland;
• high speed rail link, PPP, The Netherlands - advising the lenders on the concession contract in relation to the lenders' support for a bid by one of two preferred bidders for the project financing of a high speed rail link in The Netherlands. This role spanned an eighteen month period;
• Project Boomer, PFI - advising the lenders on the finance documents in relation to the £280 million financing of a Ministry of Defence communications project, which achieved Financial Close in June 2000;
• ESSI Motorway, Greece - advising the project company, Attiki Odos, on the finance documents in relation to the 1.3 billion financing of the motorway to link the new Spata Airport to Athens, which achieved Financial Close in March 2000. This role spanned a two year period;
• AGIP, Milan - six month secondment to legal department;
• Izmit Bay Bridge, Turkey - advising the lenders in relation to their initial consideration of certain aspects of the construction & financing of a motorway and bridge crossing over Izmit Bay, Turkey; and
• QAFAC, MTBE/Methanol plant, Qatar, - advising the project company, Qatar Fuel Additives Company, in relation to a US$350 million limited recourse project financing of an MTBE/Methanol plant. The project achieved financial close in December 1997. This role spanned a fifteen month period.