I wouldn't be sure if this is 100% accurate, but in the pronunciation guide of the Catalan wikibook, it says that "i" is pronounced like the "y" in "you" before vowels. And in another website with information about the Catalan language, it says that when a word ends with a vowel, the stress falls on the penultimate syllable, and an unstressed "a" is pronounced like a neutral vowel (like the "a" in "about"). So Laia is pronounced LA-yə.
In Catalonia we say L-A-I-A but whent I went to England they called me something like lion! :S I had to deal with it but I got used to hearing it and now I just don't mind! :)