Areas of Expertise

• Disease

  Patrick is a specialist disease practitioner with experience across the full spectrum of claims and is well known for his work in cases involving occupational cancers and related injuries. He has particular expertise in actionability of injury, causation and epidemiology, as well as the issues of insurance (and re-insurance) that are raised by occupational disease litigation.

  He is a highly experienced appellate advocate both in the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.

  Group Litigation has included:

  • Aerotoxicity Litigation against Virgin Atlantic and easyJet
  • Claims against WRU for concussion in rugby and against WFA for concussion in football
  • Claims against Cleveland Potash for deafness and vibration-induced injury
  • Claims against Nottingham textile industry as regards deafness
  • Claims against BT for deafness and osteoarthritis
  • Claims against Coal Mining Contractors for exposure to coal dust and vibration
  • Claims against T & N and Cape regarding shipyard workers exposure to asbestos.

• Personal Injury

  Patrick has thirty five years’ experience of representing a very broad range of clients but now is primarily engaged in trauma cases of maximum severity – typically brain, neurologcial and spinal injury – and has a particular interest in claims arising from the sporting arena and animals (latterly cows and horses).

  He has long experience of cases raising variously issues of capacity, care, complex pain or fraud.

  He is well-regarded for psychiatric injury claims, starting with his junior work in the Hillsborough Disaster cases of Alcock and Frost.  He has latterly also been instructed in child abuse group litigation, stress claims and cases with ‘nooks and crannies’ elements.

  As well as being known as an excellent advocate, he is a realistic but tenacious negotiator in settlement meetings, helped by accreditation as a trained mediator and arbitrator.

• Clinical Negligence

  In silk, Patrick has acted for medical defence organisations and Claimants alike – his practice being more centred on the latter. He has particular experience in dealing with claims of cerebral palsy, eye injury and cauda equina.

  He is disarming with opponents in negotiations, rigorous in analysis of experts’ reports and personable with lay clients.

  Patrick is a former President of the Nottinghamshire Medico-Legal Society (2015-2017).

  He also provided representation on behalf of healthcare registrants before their disciplinary bodies.

• Inquests

  Patrick has a long-standing record of acting in coronial enquiries, particularly for organisations, corporate and non-corporate, latterly the Police and prisoner-handlers.  He also accepts instructions on behalf of family in the context of cases likely to advance to clinical negligence claims.

• Sports

  Patrick has been instructed in cases that raise a gamut of issues around sport and the obligations of those taken to be administering sporting events:

  • Safety at stadium events
  • The nature and extent of obligations owed by supporting bodies, such as the FA, rugby unions and English Boxing
  • Motor-sport claims.

About

• Appointments

  • Bar of Gilbraltar (2010)
  • Accredited mediator
  • PICarbs arbitrator
  • President of the Nottinghamshire Medico-Legal Society
  • Past president of the Nottinghamshire Medico-Legal Society

• Professional Memberships

  • Personal Injuries Bar Association
  • Professional Negligence Bar Association
  • British Association for Sport and Law
  • Health & Safety Lawyers Association
  • Nottinghamshire Medico-Legal Society
  • Action Against Medical Accidents

• Qualifications

  • MA (Cantab) Law, Pembroke College, Cambridge

• Notable Cases

  Chell v Tarmac [2022] EWCA Civ 7: Vicarious liability for horseplay at work.

  Mackenzie v Alcoa [2019] EWCA Civ 2110: Limits of drawing adverse inferences in absence of noise surveys.

  Goldscheider v The Opera House Covent Garden [2019] EWCA Civ 771: Landmark ‘acoustic shock’ ruling.

  Hayward v Zurich Insurance [2017] AC 142: Deceit; fraudulent misrepresentation; personal injury; setting aside; settlement.

  Crawley v Barnsley MBC [2017] 1 WLR 2329: Failure to maintain; highway authorities’ powers and duties.

  IEGL v Zurich Insurance [2016] AC 509: Apportionment; asbestos; compensation; contributions; defence costs; employers’ liability; employers’ liability insurance; Guernsey; insurance policies.

  Platt v BRB [2015] PIQR P7: Constructive knowledge; date of knowledge; hearing impairment; limitation periods.

  Blythe v Ministry of Defence [2013] WLR (D) 457: Historic provisional damages orders on asbestos claims.

  Willock v Corus [2013] PIQR P21: Ergonomics; personal injury; plant and machinery.

  Harrison v Jagged Globe (Alpine) Limited [2012] EWCA 835: Vicarious liability; adventure sports.

  Baker v Quantum Clothing Group [2011] UKSC 17; [2011] 1 WLR 1003: Employers’ liability; codes of practice; meaning of ‘safe’.

  Wilkinson v York City Council [2011] EWCA Civ 207: Highway authorities’ powers and duties.

  Smith v Northamptonshire County Council [2009] UKHL: 27; [2009] ICR 734: Work equipment; statutory interpretation.