Neil Johnstone is a second six pupil at Trinity Chambers and a serving officer within the Royal Navy.
The Royal Navy annually selects a handful of officers to train as barristers, and on completion of pupillage Neil will return to the Navy to continue his military career as a Naval lawyer.
Neil commissioned into the Royal Marines as a Second Lieutenant in 2008. Following sixty weeks of arduous commando training Neil gained his green beret and joined 42 Commando as an Officer, then became a Captain. In 2011 Neil volunteered as a troop commander on the Fleet Standby Rifle Squadron; a crisis support company formed in response to the Libyan conflict. He was then deployed on HMS Liverpool to conduct anti-smuggling and boarding operations off the coast of Tripoli. Neil was then posted to 45 Commando Group as the Unit Intelligence Officer working in Albania and the Eastern Mediterranean.
In 2013 Neil was selected for Naval Legal training, completing the Bar Professional Training Course in London before joining Trinity Chambers for pupillage. On returning to military service Neil will be employed in a broad range of legal activities ranging from criminal and disciplinary law (including Courts Martial proceedings), employment law, international and operational law. Neil will continue to deploy alongside combat forces anywhere in the world or at sea, providing legal advice and support to battlefield commanders.