Geraint Webb QC
“Outstandingly bright… and client friendly” “He is counsel to have on your side in a fight.” “A great strategist who is very cool-headed” “On his feet he is one of the best.”
Chambers UK 2016/17
- Call
- 1995
- Silk
- 2013
- Tel:
- +44 (0)20 7583 9020
- Email:
- clerks@hendersonchambers.co.uk
Geraint Webb QC is recommended by Chambers UK and the Legal 500 as a leading silk in fields of (1) Product Liability, (2) Property Damage, (3) Environmental Law and (4) Insurance and Re-insurance. He has acted in many of the major group actions, mass tort claims and multiparty commercial actions of the last 20 years across a wide range of sectors, including life sciences/pharmaceuticals/medical devices, oil and gas/extractive industries, energy generation, construction, automobiles, manufacturing, food and drink, consumer goods as well as related insurance coverage disputes. His work frequently involves cross-border disputes, jurisdictional issues and international arbitrations.
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Expertise
Product Liability, Group Actions & Mass Tort Claims
Geraint Webb regularly acts for major producers, distributors and retailers across a wide range of sectors, including life sciences, pharmaceuticals, petrochemicals, power generation and energy, construction, mining, automobile, IT and telecommunications, electronics, consumer goods and food and drink. He has advised on some of the largest product recalls of recent years.
Geraint has considerable experience of multi-party commercial product liability litigation and sale of goods cases, including the insurance coverage issues relating to such claims. He is instructed on all forms of product liability and related work, including product recalls, product safety, insurance issues, contractual exemption clauses and jurisdictional issues.
In addition to civil liability claims, he has considerable experience of advising companies in relation to investigations by regulatory authorities.
He is a co-author, with Professor John Miller, of Butterworth’s Encyclopedia of Product Liability Law.
Co-author: Clinical Negligence (5th Ed), Product Liability for Medicinal Products.
His group action/mass tort claims experience includes industrial disease, environmental and contamination claims.
Instructions Include
- Metal on Metal hip implants (Smith & Nephew)
- The PIP Breast Implant Litigation (BMI)
- The Avandia Litigation (GSK)
- The Acomplia Litigation (Sanofi)
- The Fetal Anti-Convulsant Litigation (Sanofi)
- Factor VIII Blood Contamination Litigation
- Clinical trial adverse reaction claims
- Medical device CJD claims
- Pharmaceutical manufacturing claims – exposure to active ingredients
- Licensing and distribution agreement claims
Food & Drink
Geraint has advised and acted in many of the UK’s largest food and drink contamination and recall incidents of the past 20 years. He is regularly instructed to advise and represent major food businesses and insurers on both contentious and non-contentious matters, including regulatory compliance issues, recalls and insurance issues. He has particular experience in dealing with pan-European issues, cross-border supply chain disputes, and associated litigation and arbitrations.
Representative cases
grid list-
Sudan Red food contamination claims
Acting for a food manufacturer in one of the largest UK food recalls and trading standards investigation.
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The Para Red Litigation
Acting for UK food manufacturer in a major food recall and trading standards investigation.
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The Benzene Litigation
Bacardi-Martini Beverages Ltd v Thomas Hardy Packaging Ltd [2002] 1 Lloyd’s Rep 62, CA and Britvic Soft Drinks Ltd v Messer UK Ltd [2002] 2 Lloyd’s Rep 368; CA.
Major Property Damage Claims
Geraint is a leading expert on major property damage claims, including fire claims, industrial plant failures and contamination claims. Such actions typically involve multiple parties and may involve related product liability and/or professional indemnity and insurance coverage issues. He regularly appears in the Technology and Construction Court in respect of such matters.
Instructions Include
- Argos & Homebase v Leather Trade House Limited
- Buncefield
- Petrol Contamination Litigation: Western Logs Ltd v CSI Limited and Viance Ltd – timber preservative mass failure claims.
- Gas turbine explosions/failures.
- Factory explosions.
- Various fire claims at commercial premises.
- Chemical and petrol storage tank failures.
- Ship propeller failures.
- Mulheim Pipe Coatings GmbH v Chemetall Plc: Gas and Oil pipeline product failure claims.
- Corrosion and metal fatigue failure.
- Industrial boiler failures, steam chemistry induced corrosion cracking etc.
- Satellite failures.
Environmental & Contamination Claims
Geraint has represented defendant corporations on a number of the largest environmental damage and contamination claims of recent years, many including mass tort claims brought by overseas claimants against parent companies and subsidiaries.
Instructions Include
- The Bodo Litigation: Acting for the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria in relation to claims by 15,000 Nigerian claimants.
- The Ogale Litigation and the Bille Litigation: Jurisdictional challenges on behalf of Royal Dutch Shell and its Nigerian subsidiary in relation to alleged oil spills claims.
- Austin & Ors v Miller Argent (South Wales): Court of Appeal 2011 – alleged environmental nuisance claims arising from operation of open cast mine.
- Mass tort claims against Vedanta plc and its Zambian subsidiary in relation to alleged land contamination in Zambia arising from copper mining.
- Offshore oil spill claims.
Health & Safety, Industrial Disease, Inquests
Geraint has considerable experience of a range of employer’s liability and industrial disease claims, including accidents at work, asbestosis, mesothelioma, hazardous substance exposure claims and carbon monoxide poisoning. He has acted for interested persons in a numerous inquests.
Instructions Include
- Group action/multiparty and unitary asbestos claims against asbestos producers.
- Group action/multiparty claims against corporate users of asbestos products.
- Various health and safety prosecutions.
- Numerous inquests.
Insurance & Re-insurance
Geraint has considerable experience in the field of insurance coverage disputes, especially in relation to product liability policies and property damage claims.
International Arbitration
Geraint has experience of various forms of arbitration procedures including ICC, UNCITRAL, LCIA, and ad hoc arbitrations as well as adjudications. He has dealt with many cross-border claims, claims determined under the foreign law of various countries including the laws of Germany, Italy, Spain, South Africa and Bahrain, and a variety of insurance coverage disputes.
Mediation & Alternative Dispute Resolution
Geraint qualified as a CEDR accredited mediator in 2000. He has then been instructed in a large number of mediations in relation to a wide range of commercial disputes, procurement disputes and regulatory compliance disputes. He regulatory acts as a sole mediator, as a co-mediator in complex multi-party mediations, and as a representative.
What the directories say
"A brilliant advocate who is compassionate and decisive – a leading light for environmental group actions."
Legal 500 2021
"A calm and reassuring presence. He has been great with the client, building their trust and confidence and he has been prepared to get stuck into the detail of the case"
Legal 500 2021
"He is very experienced in professional negligence cases."
Legal 500 2021
"A nimble litigator with a good knowledge of environmental impact cases."
Chambers UK 2021
"He has a very good manner about him and is great with clients. He's able to explain complex issues and simplify litigation and strategy.
Chambers UK 2021
News and articles
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Chambers UK 2021 – Top Tier Rankings for...
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Instructing Geraint Webb QC
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- Deputy High Court Judge (2019)
- Queen’s Counsel (2013)
- CEDR Accredited Mediator (2000)
- Contributor to: Butterworths Encyclopedia of Product Liability Law
- Contributor to: Clinical Negligence (5th Ed), Product Liability for Medicinal Products
- Halsbury’s Laws – Practice and Procedure (2001)
- The Civil Practitioner’s Guide to the Human Rights Act 1998
- Commercial Bar Association
- London Common Law & Commercial Bar Association
- Procurement Lawyers Association
- Association of Regulatory & Disciplinary Lawyers
- Personal Injuries Bar Association
- British Insurance Law Association
- Princess Royal Scholarship (1994)
- Inner Temple Scholarship (1993)
- BA (Oxon) First Class Honours (1992)
- Exhibitioner of Christ Church (1990)
All members of Chambers are registered with the Bar Standards Board of England and Wales. For our standard contractual terms click here.
For more information about the way barristers at Henderson Chambers work, including our fee transparency statement and our complaints process, please click here.
Bar Council Number: 33987
VAT Registration Number: 681602930
Legal Status: QC
Professional Insurance: All members of Chambers have professional liability insurance provided by the Bar Mutual Indemnity Fund Ltd. Territorial coverage is world-wide and subject to the term of the Bar Mutual. Click here for details.
Regulated by the Bar Standards Board.
