<p>John Finlay's work on the lawyers of early-modern Scotland will be familiar to many readers. This, his second book on this subject, examines the community of the College of Justice over a period of nearly one hundred and fifty years, providing an important insight into both the College itself and its interaction with local life and national politics. The book is divided into nine chapters.</p>
<p>The introductory chapter (1–32) discusses the court, College, its members, and their various privileges. The following two chapters form what could be considered to be the first part of the book, in which Finlay sets out the role of the College and its members in the life and administration of Edinburgh and – to a lesser extent – the nation as a whole. Chapter two (33–61) examines the relationship of the College with the city, the status of College members, and their role in the expansion of Edinburgh in the eighteenth century, in parish life, and in the intellectual societies of the period. Chapter three (62–91) details the College's relationship with Edinburgh's town council, particularly focusing on the various civic roles, clerkships and offices which members of the College held. The following chapters form what could be considered as the second part of the book, which examines the various offices and members of the College. Chapter four (92–120) focuses on the Lords of Session. This is a particularly interesting chapter, and examines the Bench before and during the eighteenth century, the method of appointment to the Bench, the role of the Lord President of the court, the interaction of the Lords with the local community, the issue of precedence on the Bench and with other courts, the judges’ rates of attendance at court, and the retirement of the judges. Chapter five (121–156) examines the advocates: the expectations of their professional life, the process of admission, their education, the careers of those writers who later became advocates, the practice of advocates, the hardship faced by those who were not successful, the workload of those who were successful, and the motivations of the men who entered the Bar with no intention ever to practice. Chapter six (157–187) examines the writers to the signet: the difference between them and ordinary writers, the history of the society, the apprenticeship of writers and the education of these apprentices, the activities of writers (with particular focus on the handling of fiscal matters and conveyancing), and the...</p>
