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A fond farewell to John Ellis after 50 years in law

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John Ellis, Director at Crombie Wilkinson Solicitors with offices in Pickering, Malton, York and Selby, who has served thousands of clients in Pickering and the surrounding areas, retires on 30 April 2021 after 51 years as a solicitor.

John qualified as a solicitor in 1970 and has provided high quality legal services to individuals, business, and the farming community across his extensive career. He is well known and respected for his work across a range of legal services including Wills and Probate, commercial, residential and agricultural conveyancing, and partnership advice. John was President of the Yorkshire Law Society from 1995-1996.

John joined his father, Barnet Ellis, in his Pickering office in 1964 and, after being admitted as a solicitor in 1970, became a partner in Barnet Ellis Son & Lakin (later Ellis Lakin & Co). In February 2018 Ellis Lakin & Co joined forces with Crombie Wilkinson Solicitors and John became a Director at the merged firm Crombie Wilkinson. Crombie Wilkinson Ellis Lakin Solicitors have continued to build on the excellent reputation of Ellis Lakin & Co for providing specialist legal advice for individuals, businesses, and the rural and farming community in and around Pickering and across Ryedale and wider Yorkshire. The two firms came together through their shared values for delivering the best solution for their clients coupled with their joint passion for going above and beyond to provide exceptional service and support their local community.

Richard Watson, Senior Director of Crombie Wilkinson, said, “I have had the good fortune of knowing John for some 35 years, and both he and I considered our joining of forces in 2018 to have been a great opportunity for both firms. It has been a great pleasure working with John over the past three years. His reputation for providing an excellent legal service to his clients, and supporting the local community, is second to none, and I know he will be missed as much by his clients as he is by all of us here at Crombie Wilkinson"

Isobel Willoughby, Director and Head of the Crombie Wilkinson Pickering office said “Working with John has been both an honour and a privilege. The breadth of his knowledge – both of the law, and of the families and businesses for whom he acts – is incredibly inspiring, and I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to learn from John over recent months. I am incredibly proud of our team in Pickering, and of the excellent service which our teams in both Ryedale offices provide, but this is in no small part due to John and the exemplary foundation which he has built in Pickering throughout the course of his career. As a firm, we work tirelessly to deliver on our Service Pledge; John, however, has been doing so for 51 years, and the Pickering team will always strive to live up to his high standards, and to continue to support the local community in the same way as he has done.

John Ellis comments that he has been honoured to have a long and satisfying career in law, and to have worked with many interesting and inspiring people along the way. He says, “The variety and nature of my work has been interesting and rewarding and I would like to take the opportunity to thank the firm’s clients, for entrusting me and the firm with their legal work.

John Ellis continues “I have enjoyed 51 years of working with delightful clients, but I must also give thanks to my various colleagues over the years (whose camaraderie and support have been invaluable), and of course the many other professionals with whom I have had the great pleasure of working, (including surveyors, estate agents and accountants) both in Pickering and further afield, for their professional friendship over the years. I wish every continued success for the team at Crombie Wilkinson Solicitors; a highly experienced and professional team more than capable of providing Pickering and the wider Ryedale area with first-class legal advice and support.”

John has no plans to use his retirement for relaxation, as he will continue to enjoy playing cricket with Thornton Dale Cricket Club, playing table tennis with Ryedale Sports Club, and cycling.

Crombie Wilkinson Solicitors in Pickering has 10 staff, including three new recruits. In addition, a number of staff work across both of the firm’s Ryedale offices, which ensures the provision of service to a wide array of clients across a broad spectrum of specialisms (including residential and commercial property, corporate transactions, agricultural matters, disputes, and family matters, to name but a few). The team will be further bolstered by the appointment of Martina Baloch, a Solicitor specialising in Private Client, who will work alongside Bethany Foster to provide important legal services such as Wills, Lasting Powers of Attorney, and Trusts and Probate advice. Bethany has recently become an Associate Member of Solicitors for the Elderly (SFE) to further support older people, their family and carers with later life decisions and planning.

The firm employs over 90 legal advisors and support staff across its four offices across North Yorkshire in Pickering, Malton, York and Selby.