This work investigates the rhetorical strategies and professional conduct of six prominent British barristers who defined the standards of legal advocacy in their time. Lord Birkett, a distinguished jurist himself, utilizes his deep familiarity with the courtroom to analyze the specific techniques these advocates employed to influence juries and judges. The book serves as a study of the intersection between personality, legal knowledge, and the art of persuasion within the British judicial system.

Legal scholars and practitioners often cite this work as a classic study of courtroom oratory and professional ethics. Readers frequently note the accessible yet authoritative prose that makes complex legal history engaging for both professionals and laypeople.