 When Scipione was 13 he entered the University of Salerno, and later studied law at Bologna, where he was a pupil of Ugo Buoncompagni.For about a decade Scipione worked as a lawyer in Naples, earning the nickname "Principe del foro napolitano – Prince of Neapolitan Rights," for his devotion to championing the people against their Spanish overlords, while acquiring a reputation for his legal knowledge, professionalism, and honesty.In 1548 he was named a member of the Royal Council, the principal advisory body to the viceroy, Pedro de Toledo.