Profiling the lives of individuals of a certain renown or certain field, these collective biographies are of value to libraries because they present sketches of a number of important people for the price of a single volume. Useful for reports, these books discuss the contributions of ten or more men and women individually, as well as in relation to the overall theme in the particular volume. Each book contains chapter notes, Internet addresses, and an index." . Due to the Negro's social and political condition . the Negro lawyer must be prepared to anticipate, guide and interpret his advancement." Charles Hamilton Houston used these words and a revolutionary legal strategy to train a fleet of African American lawyers to battle for racial equality in the early 20th Century. From forefathers like Houston, grew a confident branch of African-American lawyers who have since broken down barriers and attained inconceivable goals of representation and stature.

Lawyers featured include Charles Hamilton Houston, William Henry Hastie, Thurgood Marshall, Constance Baker Motley, Benjamin Lawson Hooks, Douglas Wilder, Barbara Jordan, Johnnie Cochran, Marian Wright Edelman, and Carol Moseley-Braun.