Paul L. Knobbe
Partner

Paul L. Knobbe is an experienced trial lawyer who focuses his practice on products liability, toxic torts, environmental, agriculture law, personal injury, and medical malpractice. He is an AV-rated preeminent attorney, acknowledged by his peers as having attained the highest levels of skill and ethics.
Paul currently defends product manufacturers, contractors, and premises defendants in asbestos cases pending in St. Louis, Missouri, as well as in Madison, Cook, and McLean Counties in Illinois. His extensive experience includes handling environmental matters, including radon exposure and remediation, chemical exposures, herbicide spray drift, and various product liability matters such as cases involving carbon monoxide exposure.
Prior to entering private practice, he served first as an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney and then as an Assistant Public Defender, trying more than 30 cases. In his years of private practice, Paul has handled a wide variety of civil cases involving medical malpractice, asbestos exposure, and product liability, and has worked on complex, state-federal herbicide class actions.
Experience Highlights
Paul has handled numerous health care negligence and malpractice cases, and he has represented physicians, nurses, and other healthcare providers. Through this experience, he has developed exceptional knowledge and proficiency with complex medical issues and discovery/trial techniques. As a result, he has authored papers and spoken on a host of topics, including effective deposition strategies, legal technology in litigation, civil discovery issues, medical malpractice litigation, nursing home litigation, damages in personal injury cases, and civil and criminal procedure.
Honors & Awards
Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rating: AV Preeminent
Admissions
- Missouri
- Illinois
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
Education
- Saint Louis University School of Law, J.D., 1997
- Maryville University, B.S., Chemistry, 1993
Professional Affiliations
- Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel (FDCC)
- Claims and Litigation Management Alliance (CLM)
- American Chemical Society
Community Involvement
- Habitat for Humanity
- GO St. Louis
- Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis High School Mock Trial Competition: Judge
- Volunteer Youth Sports Coach
Publications & Events
- “Lessons From A $265 Million Dicamba Damage Award,” Law360
- “Can Biomarkers and Genetics Help Predict the Future of Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma?” (Co-Author), FDCC Insights, September 2017
- “Naval Vessel Is Not the Sum of Its Asbestos-Containing Parts,” Law360, November 23, 2015
- “The Busy Attorney’s Toolkit to Success,” Time and Business Management, January 20, 2012
- “Issues in Medical Malpractice Cases,” Voire Dire Case Law Update and Issues, Missouri Bar Association, 2003 and 2004
- “Jury Selection Strategy and Social Media and Other Complex Jury Issues,” NBI Dire and Jury Selection Seminar, St. Louis, MO, November 29, 2018
- “Alternative Causation Issues in Asbestos Litigation: HarrisMartin’s Talc, Asbestos, and the Cancer-Causing Properties of Talcum Powder Conference Agenda,” HarrisMartin Talc & Asbestos Conference, Miami, FL, November 2, 2018
- “Alternative Medical Causation in Asbestos Cases,” HarrisMartin’s Midwest Asbestos Litigation Conference, September 6, 2018
- “Naval Vessels and Liability for Asbestos Components,” HarrisMartin’s Midwest Asbestos Litigation Conference, September 23, 2016
- “Social Media and Other Complex Jury Issues,” Voir Dire and Jury Selection, April 15, 2016
- “Types of Damages in Personal Injury Suits” and “Quantifying Damages in Personal Injury Suits,” Damages in Personal Injury Cases, St. Louis, MO, July 2012
- “Top Mobile Apps for the Lawyer” and “Jury Selection and Trial Presentation Tools Available for Tablets,” The Busy Attorney’s Toolkit to Success, St. Louis, MO, January 20, 2012
- “Taking the Deposition” and “Defending the Deposition,” Sophisticated Deposition Strategies, St. Louis, MO, April 14, 2011
- “Common Types of Claims Being Evaluated” and “Effective Discovery in Nursing Home Litigation,” Nursing Home Malpractice: Evaluating and Addressing Accountability, St. Louis, MO, August 28, 2007
- Lecturer, Lawyers in the Classroom, Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis
- “Environmental and Toxic Tort Hazards Arising from Agricultural Pesticide Contamination: Part II” (Co-Presenter), GS Webinar Series, July 9, 2020
- “Environmental and Toxic Tort Hazards Arising from Agricultural Pesticide Contamination: Part I” (Co-Presenter), GS Webinar Series, June 11, 2020
Recent Insights
March 25, 2020
May 8, 2018
September 2017
November 23, 2015
March 2, 2015
September 3, 2013