This work investigates the historical evolution and eventual dissolution of the College of Advocates and Doctors of Law, commonly known as Doctors' Commons. G. D. Squibb, a noted legal historian, utilizes surviving institutional records to document the rise of this specialized legal society in London. The text argues that the institution served as a critical nexus for clerical lawyers, lay judges, and advocates practicing within the ecclesiastical and admiralty court systems. By examining the administrative and social functions of the society, the author provides a framework for understanding the professionalization of English law prior to the nineteenth-century reforms.

Legal historians and scholars of the English court system frequently cite this work as the definitive institutional history of Doctors' Commons. The text is recognized for its meticulous archival research and serves as a foundational reference for those studying the history of the legal profession in England.