Joseph Oates

Dispute Resolution, Employment and Insolvency

Head of our Contentious Department, Joseph Oates, joined CooperBurnett in 1999 and has been on the management board since 2003, after becoming an equity partner in 2002.

John Spence

Dispute Resolution, Personal Disputes, Property Disputes, Commercial Property Disputes and Commercial Property & Development

John joined CooperBurnett’s litigation team in 2018 as a partner specialising in property litigation. A member of the Property Litigation Association and the ALEP.

David Brown

Construction, Homeowner Construction Projects, Dispute Resolution, Commercial Property Disputes, Insolvency, Property Disputes and Personal Disputes

David joined CooperBurnett LLP in March 2023 to launch and head up our Construction group. He is a member of The Technology and Construction Solicitors Association.

Stuart Merrison

Dispute Resolution, Personal Disputes, Property Disputes, Commercial Property Disputes and Commercial Property & Development

Experienced Litigator Stuart Merrison became part of team CooperBurnett as a Senior Associate in March 2026 specialising in Property Litigation and working in the team lead by Partner John Spence.

Elizabeth Elbe

Commercial and Property Disputes, Homeowner Construction Projects, Personal Disputes, Property Disputes, Dispute Resolution

Elizabeth Elbe joined CooperBurnett LLP in the summer of 2024 as a paralegal in our Litigation team, primarily working with Partners David Brown (Construction) and John Spence (Property Litigation).