An electrosurgical Cobb elevator instrument, a soft tissue dissection and/or retraction tool, can be used with and without suction, and is capable of delivering monopolar or bipolar RF energy for cutting and coagulating soft tissue. The device is capable of footswitch or handswitch activation. The tool has a spoon-shaped edge that is preferably sharp to provide blunt dissection in addition to the energy-driven dissection. The instrument of the invention could be used in any procedure that requires soft tissue dissection and/or coagulation.