Ms Melanie Pears > Ward Hadaway LLP > Newcastle upon Tyne, England > Lawyer Profile

Ms Melanie Pears

+44 (0)191 204 4464 melanie.pears@wardhadaway.com View profile

Work Department

Commercial

Position

Partner

Career

Melanie originally trained as a barrister, and worked in industry for Shell and then in publishing for Sweet and Maxwell before qualifying as a solicitor in 1992.

She heads a team of specialist lawyers which has won the prestigious PFI Law Firm of the Year award in 2017, 2016, 2014 and 2013.

Melanie has particular expertise in advising on EU Procurement, complex contracting, PFI/PPP and outsourcing efficiencies as well as travel and tourism.

She was a member of the legal board of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply, a Non Executive Director of Darlington PCT, is on the Board of two charities, one healthcare the other a youth orchestra. She is also a Board Member of the DLA.

Melanie has spoken at many local, national and international events on all of her specialist subjects.

Melanie has completed a significant number of PFI schemes/ PPP outsourcings and advised on many conventional tender exercises particularly for the public sector.

Her knowledge/ experience have seen her involved in some of the largest, most innovative public sector development schemes in the country

Melanie assists in managing/ running operational PFI schemes some of which are detailed above.

Guidance includes contractual disputes, refinancing, corporate structures, variations, insurance, benchmarking, market testing.

Melanie was involved in all NHS pathfinder schemes in the last 6 years, including the first and only PFI buy back in the UK.

More recently, Melanie has been involved in successfully resolving a number of PFI disputes.