Yukiko Kojima

Yukiko Kojima offers clients unique experience with highly innovative alternative delivery strategies for large-scale infrastructure projects in the U.S. because of her deep knowledge of national best practices as well as Canada’s mature P3 market. She primarily advises public agencies in the use of methods such as P3 and design-build, but also represents private-sector participants on select projects.

Yukiko takes an active role in Nossaman’s P3 practice initiatives in the social infrastructure area, and co-authored the Firm's model social infrastructure P3 legislation. She is Chambers-rated nationally and globally in the field of P3s, and served on the national board of Design-Build Institute of America and chaired its P3 Committee from its inception.

Before joining Nossaman, she was a partner in the leading P3 practice of a Canadian law firm in Vancouver and Tokyo where she assisted successful and shortlisted bidders on numerous award-winning P3 projects in Canada. 

Experience

City of Los Angeles – Convention Center Renovation and Expansion. A Nossaman team led by Yukiko is advising the City on the negotiation and drafting of a Project Agreement for the Los Angeles Convention Center Expansion and Modernization Project. Initially engaged by the City to help negotiate and draft an implementation agreement for a public-private partnership version of the project, for which the City had entered into an Exclusive Negotiation Agreement with AEG/Plenary as developer in January 2019, those negotiations were suspended due to COVID impacts and Nossaman was subsequently re-engaged in 2024 to advise on a design-build version of the project. In April 2025, the City Council approved continued negotiations with the developer of a phased delivery of the project that would entail completion of the exterior portions of the project prior to the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games and completion of the balance of the project after the Games. The resulting expansion is anticipated to add at least 190,000 square feet of additional contiguous exhibit space, 55,000 square feet of meeting room space and at least 95,000 square feet of multi-purpose space to the existing facility and includes the renovation of the Gilbert Lindsay Plaza.

Dallas College – 2023 Downtown Development Project. Co-leader of the Nossaman team advising Dallas College in the development, structuring and procurement of a project that is anticipated to include a consolidated downtown campus, administrative facilities and an innovation center to facilitate collaboration between private and public institutions. Yukiko’s services include assisting Dallas College with strategies for packaging and procurement.

Maryland Department of Transportation and Maryland Transit Administration – Purple Line Light Rail Renegotiation/Resolicitation. Leader of the Nossaman team that advised Maryland on the negotiation of the amended P3 agreement and resolicitation of the replacement design-build contractor to complete Maryland’s first transit P3 project – a $3.4 billion (capital cost), 16.2-mile light rail system that will significantly facilitate mobility between the Maryland suburbs and Washington, D.C. After the original design-build contractor left the project in fall of 2020, MDOT/MTA and the concessionaire negotiated amendments to the P3 agreement and resolicited a replacement design-build contractor. The amended project reached financial close in April 2022. Yukiko continues to advise MDOT/MTA in the implementation of the amended P3 agreement.

Maryland Transit Administration and Maryland Department of Transportation – Purple Line Light Rail. Key member of the Nossaman team that advised on the procurement of Maryland’s first transit P3 project, then an approximately $2 billion (capital cost) light rail system, awarded in 2016. Yukiko prepared a written assessment of delivery alternatives and North American P3 procurement best practices for the project prior to launch of the original procurement.

New York City Department of Transportation – Design-Build Program. Leader of the Nossaman team advising the City in the development and procurement of its design-build program. Our services to date have included providing legal analysis, regulatory guidance and the preparation of key contract provisions and procurement documents for the RFP. We have also advised on risk allocation and mitigation strategies to help the City structure a robust and competitive procurement process. 

LA Metro – Link Union Station (Link US) Project. Co-leader of the Nossaman team that advises on document strategy and development best practices for the LINK US project, the agency’s first CM/GC project which will convert LA’s Union Station from a “stub-end” to a “run-through” station, increase operational capacity to meet the demands of the regional rail system (MetroLINK) and future California High Speed Rail trains and provide full multimodal connectivity between light rail, subway, commuter and intercity rail with local, regional and intercity bus services and shuttle services. The project will be delivered in two phases. Phase A will include modifications to platform 4 at Union Station and construction of a viaduct across the 101 freeway to ultimately accommodate 10 run-through lines; Phase B will include raising the entire track yard at Union Station to enable 10 run-through tracks across the 101 freeway.

University of North Dakota – Campus Housing Project. Leader of the legal team that advised the University in the drafting and negotiation of a project agreement for the design, construction, operation and maintenance of on-campus housing financed with certificates of participation. The University entered into a pre-development agreement with Johnson Controls/Corvias in June 2020 and Nossaman was selected as transaction counsel to the University in April 2021, serving under U3 Advisors, the University’s real estate advisor. The project reached financial close in July 2021. Yukiko’s services included advising the University on P3 best practices and market terms, reviewing and commenting on drafts of the project agreement and ancillary documents and assisting the University in negotiating the project agreement with Johnson Controls/Corvias.

The Regents of the University of California – UC Merced 2020 Campus Expansion Project. Key member of the legal team that advised the University of California on a $1.3 billion P3 project that doubled the size of its Merced campus with the addition of new facilities, including student housing, classrooms, recreational facilities and associated infrastructure. The award-winning project is the first university availability payment P3 to close in the U.S. and achieved substantial completion on schedule and on budget in June 2020. The project was awarded platinum LEED, making it the first public research university to be certified as carbon neutral. Yukiko’s services included assisting with structuring the procurement, drafting and finalizing procurement and contract documents and developing the evaluation process. Following closing, she leads the Nossaman team that is advising the University on issues arising during the implementation of the project.

Denver International Airport – Jeppesen Terminal Redevelopment Project (Great Hall Project). Leader of the legal team that advised the City and County of Denver on the $1.8 billion P3, which included a multi-faceted upgrade of Denver International Airport's Jeppesen Terminal and the development and management of a new concessions program within the terminal. The project combined an availability structure with shared revenue risk on the concessions program. Yukiko’s services included drafting and negotiating the development agreement and advising on implementation issues.

Florida Department of Transportation – I-4 Ultimate Project. Key member of the legal team that advised on the development and negotiation of contract and procurement documents for a $2.3 billion highway development across Orange and Seminole Counties. The award-winning availability payment P3 project rebuilds 15 major interchanges, add or replace 127 bridges and build four tolled express lanes partially funded through a $949 million TIFIA loan. Yukiko drafted the contract documents, participated in one-on-one meetings with shortlisted proposers, assisted with the evaluation process and assisted with the negotiation and finalization of contract documents and the closing process.

New York State Thruway Authority – Tappan Zee Bridge. Key member of the legal team that advised on a project Gov. Andrew Cuomo has described as the state’s most pressing infrastructure need – replacement of an aging three-mile-long cantilever bridge over the Hudson River with a new cable-stayed, dual-span structure designed to last a century. To help deliver the project, Nossaman drafted procurement and contract documents and assisted with the procurement, which resulted in the award of a $3.1 billion design-build contract with to a Fluor-led consortium – $800 million less than the next lowest bidder – in the first such deal undertaken by the transportation agency and the largest in the country to date. The new Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge opened to traffic in 2017. Yukiko’s services included reviewing enabling legislation, assessing project risk, producing procurement and contract documents, participating in meetings with proposers and contract negotiations.

Publications

Blog Posts

Speaking Engagements

News

Multimedia

Community & Professional

UC Merced Foundation, Trustee

U.S. Infrastructure Law Forum, Steering Committee Member

Design-Build Institute of America, Former National Board Member and Chair of P3 Committee

Education Through Music-Los Angeles, Board Member

Los Angeles County Bar Association, Member

American Bar Association, Member

Honors & Recognitions

Included in The Best Lawyers in America^© for Transportation Law, 2025

Individual recognition for Projects, PPP – Nationwide, Chambers Global, 2021-2025

Individual recognition for Projects, PPP – Nationwide, Chambers USA, 2015-2018, 2020-2024

Listed, The Legal 500 United States, Industry Focus - Finance - Project Finance - Advice to Sponsors, 2020-2023, 2025

Los Angeles Times, B2B Publishing, "Banking & Finance Visionary" honoree, Trends and Insights for M&A, Private Equity and More, 2023

Top Women Attorneys honoree, Los Angeles Business Journal, 2020, 2023

Shortlisted for Leading Women in Infrastructure Award, P3 Bulletin, 2022

Named one of the Most Influential Minority Lawyers honoree, Los Angeles Business Journal, 2016, 2022

Recognized as one of the “Top Women Lawyers,” Daily Journal, 2018

Project Finance MVP, Law360, 2017

Named one of the Most Influential Women Lawyers honoree, Los Angeles Business Journal, 2017

Leading Expert in Project Finance in Japan, Global Law Experts, 2010