Mr Coates joined Kemp Strang in 2001, from Greaves Wannan and Williams, where he practised in commercial and property law. Following his retirement as a partner in 2009, he was appointed Special Counsel.

Mr Coates was elected as President of the International Council of Arbitration for Sport (ICAS) and of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in November 2010. He has been a member of ICAS since the creation of the Council in 1994 and Vice President since 1995. The CAS facilitates the settlement of sports-related disputes through arbitration and mediation.

Mr Coates is also President of the Australian Olympic Committee and a Member of the International Olympic Committee, and its Juridical, TV Rights and New Media Commission and the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Olympic Games Coordination Commissions. He was elected to the IOC Executive Board in 2009.

He is also Deputy Chairman of David Jones Limited, Chairman of William Inglis & Son Ltd and a Member of the Grant Samuel Advisory Board.

Mr Coates was appointed as a Companion in the General Division of the Order of Australia (AC), Australia's highest civilian honour "for service to the development of sport nationally and internationally through the Olympic movement promoting the well being of youth and values of tolerance, understanding, peace and mutual respect between peoples of the world."