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.

Joseph has been a licensed insolvency practitioner since 2012 and is licensed to act in the United Kingdom by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales. He has a thorough understanding of insolvency law and practice and successfully completed the JIEB insolvency exams in 2009.

As a trained mediator, he adopts a commercial and straightforward approach to resolving disputes. He also advises on all aspects of contentious employment law, including settlement agreements.

Joseph is on the board of Royal Tunbridge Wells Together Business Improvement District (BID) - which uses its funds to deliver projects and activities that are designed to provide a collaborative, more powerful voice to support the business community and improve the trading environment of Tunbridge Wells.

In his spare time, Joseph can often be found training for the latest CooperBurnett charity challenge. Over the years, he's completed the Walk Tonbridge Marathon a number of times; walked 50km in one day as part of The Race To The King ultra-marathon; and cycled from London to Paris in 24 hours (in the rain)!