Hilary Palmer joined CooperBurnett as a Senior Associate in our Commercial Property & Development team at the beginning of 2026. She has worked in the sector for more than 25 years, advising on all aspects of commercial property and brings with her ‘enthusiasm and know-how’ for this type of work. Over the years, she’s advised on landlord and tenant matters and property law aspects of major infrastructure projects, as well as acting for both landlords and tenants in negotiating and granting commercial leases for all types of commercial property, including portfolio sales and purchase.
Courtney Magnus joined CooperBurnett in March 2023, bringing her experience as an in-house paralegal. She was awarded a training contract with us in February 2024 and qualified the following summer. During her training, Courtney occupied seats in teams including Property Litigation, Residential Property, Commercial Property & Development and Private Client. She has qualified into the Private Client team, where she also deals with Contentious Probate work.
Elizabeth Elbe became part of TeamCB in the summer of 2024 as a paralegal in our Litigation team, primarily working with Partners David Brown (Construction) and John Spence (Property Litigation). She joined us from a role as a junior litigator. Elizabeth graduated from the Open University with a degree in law in 2023.
You are all at different stages in your legal career. Hilary, you’ve joined TeamCB recently. How are you settling in?
“My first few months have been great; the firm is very friendly and everyone has been really welcoming. Also, I didn’t come in and get dumped with a full workload straightaway, it’s been building gradually, while I settle in and that’s been good.”
Courtney, you qualified quite recently. How’s that going?
“It’s going well, I am building my confidence by taking on my own clients and building my own caseload in private client, whilst assisting partner, Joseph Oates, in contentious probate work. I am continuing to grow and learn by working closely with other members of the team, who have been really supportive and encouraging; Joseph Oates, Sarah Strong, Katie Gillam and Katie Hancock have been amazingly supportive. Whenever I am not been sure of something, they advise me on what to do or assist me with the matter. I also enjoy the challenge of working in both contentious and non-contentious probate and have had the opportunity to get involved in some very interesting cases.”
Elizabeth, you joined us two years ago as a paralegal. How has that time been and what’s next for you career-wise?
“I think eventually I’d like to look at the SQE as a route to qualifying. Joshua [Hayes] is doing it that way and I’m going to talk to him a bit more about it. However, at the moment, I’m quite content being a paralegal. I enjoy the variety of working with David [Brown], John [Spence] and Joseph [Oates]; I do a bit of everything and it keeps me busy, as there’s always something different on my desk. The partners are all exceptionally supportive. If I’m not sure about something, I’m never worried about asking a question and there is always support.”
Elizabeth, is litigation a field you enjoy?
“Absolutely, yes, I find it’s a bit faster paced, which I enjoy. I also like attending court – I feel that is what law is all about.”
Courtney and Elizabeth, does it feel good to be somewhere where there’s a clear career path?
Elizabeth: “Yes, I’ve watched Courtney’s progression particularly. It feels that, if I wanted to go along that route as well, I can see the path, because Courtney has already taken it. It’s very clear CooperBurnett wants you to do the best you can; you are supported to reach the goals you’ve set yourself.”
Courtney: “I’ve been in several roles over the past three years, from a paralegal to a trainee and now qualified solicitor. Each time I’ve expressed my desire to progress into a new role, the firm has been accommodating in providing me with those opportunities.”
Hilary, as an experienced lawyer, do you feel you are supported to be the solicitor you want to be within this structure?
“Absolutely, if not more so. Here, you get a really good amount of admin support, which you don’t necessarily get at other firms and this means you can focus on supporting clients.”
We are celebrating our 45th anniversary this year. What do you think makes CooperBurnett different from other law firms?
Hilary: “I think there’s an old school mentality here, in all the positive ways.”
Courtney: “We really focus on our clients who return to us time and again. We see clients coming in to update their Wills which we prepared decades ago and it’s nice to see them coming back.”
Elizabeth: “We have so many repeat clients and there’s opportunities to refer work between our teams. Sometimes, if I’m assisting on a matter with John [Spence] and something comes up that might be Courtney’s area, then we can invite them to discuss matters with Courtney or with Sarah [Strong].”
Hilary: “Yes, that’s very true, I’ve noticed a lot of cross-department referrals since I’ve been here.”
Why have you made the decision to join and grow your careers here at CooperBurnett?
Hilary: “I became familiar with CooperBurnett when I moved to work in Tunbridge Wells in 2019 and have admired the firm from afar, as it were. So, when I heard there was an opening in Commercial Property, it was a case of ‘oh, yes please’.”
Courtney: “Everyone is friendly and supportive of one another and the firm always makes me feel valued.”
Elizabeth: “It comes down to the support I’ve received. I never come to work and worry that I can’t ask questions. I lived in Tunbridge Wells for a while, so I was aware of CooperBurnett, even before I knew I wanted to go into law. In fact, my Mum did her conveyancing with the firm 20 odd years ago.”
We talk a lot about the TeamCB culture. One Partner described it as a ‘breath of fresh air’ and another as ‘refreshing and liberating’. How would you describe the culture here?
Hilary: “I particularly like that the work is flexible. If you need to, you can work from home and that’s good. There’s a trust here.”
Elizabeth: “It was very different at the previous firm I worked, where it was much more about how much can you get done, which really weighs on your shoulders. Here, there is a clear focus on providing a great service to the clients.”
Hilary: “I’ve noticed that people stay a long time here and, what’s really different from other firms is that younger people seem to be happy to stay as well. At other places I’ve worked, there’s a ‘I’ve been here two years, I’m moving on now’ culture. CooperBurnett clearly offers lawyers room to grow.”
What do you all enjoy most about your roles?
Courtney: “Private Client offers me the chance to physically sit down with clients, get to know them and build a relationship with them. The work also feels meaningful and impactful.”
Elizabeth: “As a paralegal, my role is varied and I dip my toe into everything we do. But, I do really enjoy attending court and I like that client contact. The process of litigation can be stressful, so it’s good to see their relief and how much they appreciate everything you’ve done for them.”
Hilary: “I enjoy taking what can be very difficult concepts or structures in the law and making them understandable for a client, such as explaining the history behind the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954. It can appear dull but if the client sees where it came from, they can begin to understand the process. I really enjoy dealing with clients and endeavouring to reach the best outcomes for them. With non-contentious law, it stands to reason that the solicitors on the other side want the best for their client too, so it’s good to all work together, where possible, to end up with an outcome that suits everyone.”
Have you had good mentors along the way and do you feel a responsibility to be good role models to the next generation of lawyers?
Elizabeth: “You are not expected to know everything because you are junior and still learning. If I send something to John [Spence] and it’s not 100% correct, he’ll go through it and give me the opportunity to speak to him about it if I am not certain. Then, he’ll ask me to do something very similar again and that gives me the opportunity to improve and learn.”
Courtney: “Further to what Elizabeth has said, I agree that is important. A junior will not learn if they are given documents with corrections without any explanations. I have been lucky to have superiors who have always guided me and allowed me to work through things on my own.”
Hilary: “If a junior lawyer ends up feeling scared to ask a question, it makes life harder for everyone. They are more likely to just bluster through it – leaving more to fix in the end. In my role, I love supporting more junior members of the team.”
CooperBurnett is very involved with the local community. Are you all keen to get involved?
Hilary: “Absolutely, we are a local firm, so it matters that we are involved with the community here.”
Elizabeth: “You see our name everywhere – certainly when I pick up a copy of Tunbridge Wells Business Magazine. Even if you don’t know us now, you will eventually.”
Courtney: “When there’s another big challenge, I will get involved and I think it’s good that our current charity, The Good Company People, offers opportunities to volunteer.”
Hilary: “It sounds like an excellent charity to be involved with and volunteering sounds ideal for those of us who can’t necessarily undertake one of the big challenges.”
Do you all feel that networking is important?
Courtney: “I go to Next Gen events with Sevenoaks Chamber when I can, as well as the Kent Junior Lawyers Division (JLD). In Private Client, it’s good to network not only with different firms, but to build relationships with other businesses, such as funeral directors, financial advisers or medical practitioners.
Elizabeth: “I attended the Kent Construction EXPO with David [Brown] and that was really interesting. We met a lot of David’s contacts, not just other lawyers. It’s useful to expand your network.”
Hilary: “Networking is very important. You might not meet directly with someone who is going to become your client but contacts who might potentially refer work to us through their clients, such as accountants, surveyors and estate agents.”
Are you all busy at the moment?
Courtney: “There’s always a constant flow of work in Private Client and our team has been growing, which is good.”
Hilary: “It’s important to be busy and you get more of a sense of what you’re achieving. I think I get more done when I’m busy, a little bit of pressure helps. Work for me is currently interesting and also very varied – not wall to wall leases like it can be in Commercial Property – and I like the different aspects. The work has certainly different to when I was in London, for example, drainage for village ponds. It’s sounds quite niche but I’ve done a few of those in recent times.”
Elizabeth: “In litigation, you could be working on something all day that’s urgent and needs to be out by end of play, so those days are busy. Property Litigation is busy currently, but our team has expanded, which is positive, with Senior Associate, Stuart Merrison, recently joining us.”
Work can be pressured sometimes. What do you do within the working day to reset?
Elizabeth: “I try to go outside for lunch every day; it’s good to clear your head, especially if you’ve had a busy morning. Sometimes, I simply step away from my desk and walk up and down the building - all the way to the basement and back up again, just to get my head away from the screen for a few moments, get my legs moving and my heart pumping.”
Hilary: “I read the news at my desk. That’s not necessarily stress-reducing but it does remind me to be grateful about where I live.”
Courtney: “I do try read during my lunch break, as it’s a good break from looking at a screen.”
