Patrick Limb was called to the Bar in 1987 and was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2006. In 2008 he trained as a Mediator and is now accredited by ADR as a Panel Mediator. His training is as a facilitative Mediator.
He specialises in personal injury, disease, fraudulent claims and regulatory cases.
Personal Injury
On his own, or with a junior, he undertakes instructions in cases involving injuries of maximum severity – both physical and psychiatric.
He appears in serious brain damage cases in both children and adults. He also has a specialism in dealing with spinal cord cases.
He has experience of workplace and traffic accidents involving amputation, internal injuries, paralysis, blindness and scarring.
He deals with Fatal Accidents Act claims and claims involving Periodical Payments and structured settlements.
He has real know-how in dealing with issues such as complex medical questions, all difficult care and other quantum claims, including those concerned with forensic accountancy evidence.
He has particular experience of representing all parties at inquests.
Disease
In respect of disease work, he undertakes work across the full gamut of claims including mesothelioma, where instructions are received equally from trade unions and all the leading insurance companies; lung cancer – not limited to asbestos-related pathology; bladder, skin and renal cancers; COSHH cases and deafness – including noise-induced deafness and acoustic shock.
He also has a long-established track-record of acting in multi-party and group actions includes acting as junior Counsel for South Yorkshire Police at the Public Inquiry, the Inquest and the Contribution Proceedings arising out of the Hillsborough disaster [1989-1991]; North East Shipyards litigation (against T & N / Newalls Insulation Company and Darlington Insulation Company) [1996 – 1997]; North West Shipyards asbestos litigation (against Cape Contracts Limited) [1998-99]; Armstrong & Others –v- British Coal Corporation (vibration white finger – third party actions) [1999 to date]; AB & others –v- British Coal Corporation (British Coal Respiratory Disease Litigation – contribution claims) [2000 to date]; Doherty –v- Rugby Joinery (over ninety five claims brought against a Doncaster factory for HAVS).
Fraudulent Claims
He is regularly instructed on behalf of Insurers in cases of suspected malingering.
He has great expertise in dealing with claims of malingering and illness deception as revealed by his track-record of cross-examining claimants and psychiatrists.
He dealt with Jones -v- University of Warwick at first instance - a leading case on video surveillance.
He has undertaken mediations where there were allegations of fraud entitling the insurer to void the policy of insurance – one involving a suspected arson by the Insured.
He has also appeared in numerous cases resulting in a report of the Claimant to the DSS and one where a doctor was reported to the GMC for gross misconduct in relation to fraud.
Regulatory
He is head of the Ropewalk Chambers Regulatory Special Interest Group.
In the years prior to taking Silk his practice became almost exclusively orientated to personal injury and regulatory work, having been appointed Junior Counsel to the Crown (2002 to 2006) which lead to acting in prosecutions lead by the government agencies concerned with environmental protection.
He has substantial experience of defending and presenting mitigation, both written and oral, in numerous health and safety prosecutions. He has represented clients in prosecutions brought under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations, sundry Asbestos Regulations and the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations.
In addition to his health and safety practice, he has represented clients at Disciplinary Tribunals and before Professional Conduct Committees.
He has experience of Courts at all levels, including numerous appeals in the Court of Appeal and four in the House of Lords. Interesting cases have included the trilogy of House of Lords decisions arising out of the Hillsborough disaster (Hicks, Alcock and Frost); King –v- RCO [2001] PIQR 13 (Workplace Regulations); Green –v- Yorkshire Traction [2001] EWCA Civ 1925 (Equipment Regulations) and Smith –v- Northamptonshire CC (pending in HL) [2008] (Equipment Regulations). He appeared in the the Pleural Plaques Test cases; Rugby Joinery –v- Whitfield [2005] EWCA Civ 561 and Hague v Rexam Glass [2006] EWCA Civ 377 (apportionment and medical evidence respectively in HAVS claims) and A Train –v- Fletcher [2008] EWCA Civ 413 (interest and multipliers in fatal awards).
He is a Member of Personal Injuries and Professional Negligence Bar Associations, The Health and Safety Lawyers Association and Nottinghamshire Medico-Legal Society.
He is Co-Author of chapter on Psychiatric Injury Claims in the Personal Injuries Bar Association Handbook (2007 and 2001 Editions). He was the Co-Author of the Sweet and Maxwell title: Recovering Damages for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (2001).
In addition, he was a Co-Author on Bar Working Party Paper on Compensation Bill (2005) and author of PIBA paper regarding the Civil Justice Council Review of Expert Evidence (2005). As an invited speaker on legal issues at a National Symposium on Vibration Injury (February 2001), he wrote a chapter in the booklet published and sold after the Symposium.
Chambers and Partners and the Legal 500 consistently recognised him as being in the first tier of leading Juniors for Personal Injury work on the Midland Circuit. Citations by peers in these publications have included, “frighteningly capable”, “outstanding”, “superb”, “super bright”, and “knows his stuff inside-out.”
Within two years of taking Silk, the 2008 Edition of Chambers identified him as a leading QC on Circuit for PI work saying, "He is acknowledged for his expertise in industrial disease matters" and the 2008 Edition of Legal 500 noted that, “The major insurers keep Patrick Limb QC busy”.
The 2009 Edition of Chambers said, “Patrick Limb QC’s ‘forensic attention to detail’ ensures that ‘he never leaves a stone unturned and considers all the relevant angles in a case’. He is noted for his “exceptional insight into disease-related matters”.
He is a member of the following Specialist Practice Groups at Ropewalk Chambers:
