Professor Chris Gill

Justice Research and Innovation

CV

EMPLOYMENT

  • Professor of Socio-Legal Studies, University of Glasgow, 2023 to Present day.
  • Senior Lecturer in Public Law, University of Glasgow, 2020 – 2023.
  • Lecturer in Public Law, University of Glasgow, 2017 –2020.
  • Director, Consumer Dispute Resolution Centre, Queen Margaret University, 2016 – 2017.
  • Lecturer/ Senior Lecturer in Administrative Justice, Queen Margaret University, 2012 – 2016.
  • Investigator and Projects Officer, Scottish Public Services Ombudsman. 2006 – 2012.
  • Policy Officer (Secondment), Scottish Funding Council for Further and Higher Education, 2008 – 2009.
  • Investigations Executive. Advertising Standards Authority, 2003 – 2006.

ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS

  • PhD in Law (No corrections), University of Glasgow (October 2016).
  • MSc Policy Studies (Distinction), University of Edinburgh (July 2009).
  • BA English Literature (1st class), University College London (July 2003).

RESEARCH AND CONSULTANCY

Selected Grants and Commissions

  • ‘User Focused Tribunals’, Nuffield Foundation (2025 – 2026).
  • ‘Social Care Complaints in Scotland Policy Lab’, Economic and Social Research Council (2024 – 2026).
  • ‘Ombudspersons and the Protection of Refugees and Asylum Seekers (OPRAS)’, British Academy (2024).
  • ‘Supporting vulnerable public services users’, ESRC Impact Acceleration Account (2023).
  • ‘Parliamentary casework forum’, ESRC Impact Acceleration Account (2021).
  • ‘Therapeutic complaint handling’, ESRC Impact Acceleration Account (2019).
  • ‘Helping reduce the cost of complaints’, ESRC Impact Acceleration Account (2018).
  • ‘Access to justice for vulnerable and energy poor consumers’, ESRC (2017).
  • ‘Co-creating justice’, SSHRC Connections Grant (2017).
  • ‘Consumer experiences of ADR’, Citizens Advice (2017).

Selected Consultancy

  • ‘International Ombudsman Institute peer review’, Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (2023).
  • ‘Ombud independence’, Canadian Ombud for Responsible Enterprise (2023).
  • ‘Benchmarking quality assurance frameworks’, Legal Ombudsman (2023).
  • ‘Business Banking Resolution Service review’, BBRS (2022).
  • ‘Complaints about legal expenses insurance’, Legal Services Board (2022).
  • ‘Compendium of good practice’, Council of Europe (2019).
  • ‘Independent peer review’, Parliamentary Ombudsman (2019).
  • ‘Five year independent review’ (2017), Utilities Disputes Ltd.
  • ‘Independent assessor consultancy’ (2014-2015), Ombudsman Services.
  • ‘Complaints process review’ (2013), Welsh Language Commissioner.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

Books

  • CREUTZFELDT, N., GILL, C., CORNELIS, M. and MCPHERSON, R. (2021) Access to Justice for Vulnerable and Energy-Poor Consumers. Hart Publishing.
  • KIRKHAM, R. and GILL, C. (Eds.) (2020) A Manifesto for Ombudsman Reform. Palgrave.

Selected journal articles

  • GILL, C. (2023) Parliamentary casework in socio-legal perspective: a case study of complaint handling by Members of the Scottish Parliament. Zeitschrift für Rechtssoziologie, (Accepted for Publication).
  • WILLIAMS, J., GILL, C. and MCBURNIE, G. (2021) It’s the most ethical job I have ever had: complaint handling and fair decision making in the financial industry. International Journal of Business Governance and Ethics, (Early Online Publication)
  • GILL, C., MULLEN, T. and VIVIAN, N. (2020) The Managerial Ombudsman. Modern Law Review, 83(4), pp. 797-830.
  • WILLIAMS, J., GILL, C., CREUTZELDT, N. and VIVIAN, N. (2020) Participation as a Framework for Analysing Consumers’ Experiences of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR). Journal of Law and Society, 47(2), pp. 271-297.
  • GILL, C., SAPOUNA, M., HIRST, C. and WILLIAMS, J. (2019) Dysfunctional Accountability in Complaint Systems: the Effects of Complaints on Public Service Employees. Public Law (Oct), pp. 644-664.
  • GILL, C, AND CREUTZFELDT, N. 2017. The Ombuds Watchers: Legal Protest and Collective Dissent Among Users of Public Service Ombuds. Social and Legal Studies, Online First.

Selected book chapters

  • WILLIAMS, J., GILL, C. and HIRST, C. (2022) Towards therapeutic complaint resolution. In: Groves, M. and Stuhmcke, A. (eds.) The Ombudsman in the Modern State. Hart Publishing, pp. 265-286.
  • GILL, C. (2020) The Ombud and “Complaint Standards Authority” powers. In: Kirkham, R. and Gill, C. (eds.) A Manifesto for Ombudsman Reform. Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 95-107.
  • KIRKHAM, R. and GILL, C. (2020) Five Principles for a New Public Services Ombudsman. In: Kirkham, R. and Gill, C. (eds.) A Manifesto for Ombudsman Reform. Palgrave Macmillan, p 13.
  • Gill, C. 2018 What Can Government Agencies Learn from the Ombudsman? In: Hertogh, M. and Kirkham, R. (eds.) Research Handbook on the Ombudsman. Edward Elgar: Cheltenham, UK. pp. 298-318.

Selected research, consultancy and policy reports

  • GILL, C. (2024) Quality assurance in the UK ombudsman sector. Project Report. Legal Ombudsman.
  • HARKIN, J., GILL, C., BROWN, I. and BOTSFORD, C. (2023) Business Banking Resolution Service Post Implementation Review Part 2. Technical Report. Business Banking Resolution Service.
  • HIRST, C., GILL, C. and WILLIAMS, J. (2022) Barriers to accessing adult social care and social housing complaint systems. Project Report. Transforming Complaint Resolution.
  • GILL, C. and O’NEILL, S. (2022) Complaints to the Financial Ombudsman Service About Legal Expenses Insurance. Project Report. Legal Services Board.
  • GILL, C. (2020) The Scottish Parliament’s Casework service: Understanding the Hidden Work of MSPs. Project Report. Scottish Parliament.
  • MULLEN, T, GILL, C, VIVIAN, N. 2017. Scotland’s Model Complaint Handling Procedures. UKAJI/ Nuffield Foundation.
  • GILL, C, CREUTZFELDT, N, WILLIAMS, J, O’NEILL, S, VIVIAN, N. 2017. Confusion, Gaps and Overlaps: A Consumer Perspective on Alternative Dispute Resolution for Consumer-Business Disputes. London: Citizens Advice.

POLICY AND PRACTICE PRESENTATIONS

  • GILL, C. ‘Quality Assurance Frameworks in the UK Ombuds Sector’. Ombudsman Association Conference, Birmingham, June 2023.
  • GILL, C. ‘Opening remarks’. Chair of the Public Sector Complaint Management Conference (Westminster Insight), 30 April 2021.
  • GILL, C, HIRST, C, WILLIAMS, J. ‘Therapeutic Approaches to Complaint Handling.’ SPSO Complaint Improvement Conference, 25 February 2020. 
  • GILL, C. ‘Being Complained About’. Presentation to Cross-Government Complaints Forum, 25 March 2019.

COMMITTEES, WORKING GROUPS AND BOARDS

I am a member of the Ombudsman Association’s Validation Committee, Vice Chair of the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission’s Consumer Panel, a member of the Civil Aviation Authority’s Consumer Panel, and a member of the Administrative Justice Council’s Academic Panel. I am a former member of the Law Society of Scotland’s Administrative Justice Committee, the Scottish Government’s Administrative Justice Working Group, UK Administrative Justice Institute, and the Board of Glasgow North West Citizens Advice Bureau. Between January and June 2023, I was Chair of the Administrative Justice Council’s Working Group on Special Educational Needs.

For more details, please see my full academic profile.