This book investigates how divorce lawyers navigate professional decision-making and ethical standards within the day-to-day realities of their practice. The authors, Craig A. McEwen, Lynn Mather, and Richard J. Maiman, utilize extensive empirical data gathered from legal practitioners in New England to analyze the influence of professional norms. They argue that "collegial control" and specific "communities of practice" are the primary mechanisms that shape how attorneys approach their work and manage client expectations.

Experts and legal scholars recognize this work as a foundational text for understanding the sociological dimensions of legal practice. Readers frequently note the academic rigor of the research and its utility in explaining the informal pressures that govern attorney behavior.