Our chair, Laura Cooke, died unexpectedly on 16th June. The loss of Laura is greatly felt within the BILA community, by her colleagues at Clyde & Co, and also widely in the legal profession and the insurance market, in the UK and internationally.
As witnessed by the many tributes in Clyde & Co’s electronic book of condolence and given at the long celebration of Laura’s life on 15th July, Laura was a lovely person as well as a first-rate and admired lawyer. Many spoke about how much they owed to the time, interest and human engagement Laura selflessly invested in them and their professional progress.
Laura became Chair of BILA in November 2024 after a two-year term as Vice-Chair. In both roles she was excellent and she had a huge enthusiasm for BILA. She was on the committee for eight years, throughout that time contributing greatly to the organisation. As a warm and sincere personality she was a great friend to many in the BILA community.
Laura leaves a husband and two children. They are firmly in our thoughts and prayers. We are in profound sorrow for their enormous loss.