This study investigates the political influence and professional role of civil lawyers in England during the early seventeenth century, specifically examining how their expertise in Roman and canon law intersected with the constitutional conflicts of the Stuart period. Brian P. Levack, a historian specializing in early modern legal and political history, utilizes archival records and biographical data to analyze the civil lawyers as a distinct professional group. He argues that these practitioners were not merely isolated academics but active participants in the political machinery of the state, often aligning themselves with the Crown's interests during the volatile years leading up to the English Civil War.

Historians and legal scholars recognize this work as a foundational text for understanding the intersection of professional legal practice and political power in Stuart England. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose and the meticulous nature of the biographical data provided.