John McNeill (lawyer)

John McNeil QC served as Crown Advocate of the British Supreme Court for China from 1940 to 1942. He also served as the Chairman of the Hong Kong Bar Association on three occasions in the 1950s.

McNeill was born on 18 May 1899. He was the son of Duncan McNeill, a barrister practising in Shanghai. The McNeills came from the ancient Highland family, the McNeills of Colonsay. One of their forebears Lord Colonsay had been Lord Advocate of Scotland

John McNeill was educated at Charterhouse School and Trinity College, Oxford where he studied Classics and took an honours degree in Litterae Humaniores (Greats). He also gained a half blue for fencing. During World War I he signed up to join the army despite not having finished his studies and in December 1917 he joined the Guards Brigade. In the spring of 1918 he obtained a commission in the Royal Highlanders, Black Watch, and served in France and Germany with the first Battalion. After demobilisation he returned to Oxford and in 1923 was called to the bar of the Inner Temple and then practiced as a barrister in London.

In 1926 McNeill moved to Shanghai to practice before the British Supreme Court for China. He was admitted by judge Peter Grain on the motion of the Crown Advocate, Allan Mossop.

In 1937, he acted as Crown Advocate of the court in the absence of the Crown Advocate, Victor Priestwood. In 1939, Priestwood's appointment as Crown Advocate was terminated. After acting in the position for a few months, McNeil was appointed the Crown Advocate with effect from 1 January 1940.

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