Finlay Young is a Scottish independent writer, lawyer, and researcher. Born in Aberdeen, he grew up in Elgin then Perth before studying law at the University of Glasgow. He pursued Masters study at at the University of Pennsylvania, USA, on a Saint Andrew's Society scholarship. He subsequently passed the New York Bar Exam.
Finlay's legal and writing work has taken him across the world to countries including Liberia, Zambia, Uganda, Cote D’Ivoire, Nigeria, Switzerland, the USA and most recently Ukraine. He has served as an advisor and research consultant on judicial reform, legal education, access to justice and human rights for organizations including the World Bank, Council of Europe, Open Society Foundation, and USAID. He has also taught human rights law at Glasgow University, and co-authored a book on European Union Criminal Law. His writing has appeared in publications including The Economist, Foreign Policy, The Independent, Newsweek and the Herald Scotland.