Meet Michael Coates

Michael is a Director and Principal of Bennett & Philp Lawyers and a key member in the Commercial Litigation team, his practice having a particular emphasis on Intellectual Property Law, Employment Law and Defamation. His focus is on the early resolution of disputes for clients, avoiding the high cost and time involved in litigation proceedings.

In his Intellectual Property Practice, Michael advises his clients as to their intellectual property rights and how to best protect those rights, and also provides advice to clients in respect of avoiding infringement of other parties’ intellectual property rights.  Michael has a particular expertise in acting in intellectual property litigation, acting for his clients in court proceedings involving disputes concerning patents, trade marks, registered designs, copyright, plant breeder’s rights and confidential information.

Michael also has a particular expertise in the area of defamation law, which is a very interesting area of practice.  Michael has successfully acted for his clients in numerous court cases, including high profile court cases such as Mitchell v Jobst [2025] QDC 41.

Michael also practices extensively in employment law and workplace disputes. He acts for both employers and employees. He provides workplace “health checks” and provides advice to clients across a range of employment and industrial relations issues, including:

• Contract preparation for employees and independent contractors;
• Workplace policies, procedures and manuals;
• Dismissals and redundancies;
• Workplace disputes;
• Discrimination, bullying and harassment;
• Restraint of trade; and
• Workplace investigations.