In this episode, Thomas J. McSweeney, Professor of Law at William & Mary Law School, discusses his book "Priests of the Law: Roman Law and the Making of the Common Law's First Professionals," which is published by Oxford University Press. McSweeney begins by describing the English legal system of the 11th and 12th centuries. He explains the relationship between the early common law, Roman or civil law, and canon law. He discusses the influence of Roman law on early common law scholars, as they conceptualized the common law and professionalized the judiciary. And he reflects on the historical influence of their work.