Owen Cooper
Partner, Infrastructure Industry Leader, Melbourne
I am a construction and infrastructure project specialist with both private and in-house experience in Australia and abroad. I also possess dual qualifications as a lawyer and an engineer.

My passion is helping public and private developers and contractors to plan and deliver complex projects. This includes all aspects of procurement and contract preparation across the education, entertainment, health, justice, property development, renewable energy, telecommunications and transport sectors, with a particular focus on public-private partnerships.

I focus on being highly responsive to my clients’ needs, and know how important it is to provide timely, commercially focused advice.

Career highlights

  • Worked on more than 30 public–private partnerships in Australia and New Zealand, helping governments, sponsors, building contractors and facilities managers deliver large, complex infrastructure projects. These have included:
  • Frankston Hospital Redevelopment PPP
  • New Footscray Hospital PPP
  • Wiri Prison PPP (NZ)
  • Sydney Metro
  • the Melbourne Metro Rail Project
  • Sydney Light Rail
  • the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre
  • Monash Children's Hospital Development
  • Box Hill Hospital Redevelopment
  • Outer Suburban Arterial Roads Project
  • Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre Expansion
  • the Newcastle Integrated Services Project
  • Sydney International Convention Centre Exhibition and Entertainment Precinct
  • numerous other school, hospital, prison, social housing and student accommodation projects
  • Worked on one of the world’s top 10 construction projects, as in-house construction counsel for the Abu Dhabi–based Tourism Development & Investment Company, a major government-owned master developer with a multibillion-dollar construction portfolio
  • Frequently assist developers and contractors with hospitality, residential, aged care, commercial properties and renewable energy projects. These include Australian Unity, Living Utilities, Salter Brothers, Mayne Pharma, Peet Limited, Quintessential Equity, Trenerry Property, Trustpower, Summerset Group and Vestas