The Viscount Finlay | |
|---|---|
 Mr Justice Finlay in 1925 | |
| Lord Justice of Appeal | |
| In office 10 October 1938 – 30 June 1945 | |
| Preceded by | None |
| Justice of the High Court | |
| In office 15 December 1924 – 10 October 1938 | |
| Preceded by | None |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Finlay 15 October 1875 London, England |
| Died | 30 June 1945 (aged 69) Redhill, Surrey, England |
| Spouse |
Beatrice Marion Hall
(m. 1903; died 1942) |
| Children | 1 |
| Residence(s) | Fairway, Great Bedwyn, Wiltshire |
| Education | Eton College Trinity College, Cambridge |
William Finlay, 2nd Viscount Finlay, GBE, PC (15 October 1875 – 30 June 1945) was a British judge and peer who served as a Lord Justice of Appeal from 1938 to 1945.
The son of Lord Chancellor Finlay, William Finlay was educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge, before being called to the English bar in 1901. He became a King's Counsel in 1914, a High Court judge in 1924, and a Lord Justice of Appeal in 1938. Finlay's rapid rise to professional prominence was accompanied by accusations of nepotism, though his competence was not questioned. In 1929, he inherited his father's peerages, becoming the second and last Viscount Finlay.
In addition to his legal work, Finlay also played an important role in economic warfare against Germany during both World Wars, and was responsible for two influential, if much criticised, reports on the English legal aid system. After the Second World War, Finlay was involved in the prosecution of German war crimes, serving as the British representative to the United Nations War Crimes Commission, and fought against British official indifference and obstruction. The work took a heavy toll on his health, leading to his premature death in 1945.