Book Review: How to Succeed (And Stay Human) in Law School: Pathways to Happiness and High Performance in the Study and Practice of Law

Several times each month, we are pleased to republish a recent book review from the Canadian Law Library Review (CLLR). CLLR is the official journal of the Canadian Association of Law Libraries (CALL/ACBD), and its reviews cover both practice-oriented and academic publications related to the law.

How to Succeed (and Stay Human) in Law School: Pathways to Happiness and High Performance in the Study and Practice of Law. By Lynda Collins. Toronto: Emond, 2025. 160 p. Includes appendices and selected resources. ISBN 9781774625590 (softcover) $31.00; ISBN 9781774625606 (eBook) $31.00.

Reviewed by Katarina Daniels
Research Lawyer, Library Services Lead
Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP

In How to Succeed (and Stay Human) in Law School, Lynda Collins, a professor at the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Law and the creator of Ontario’s first full-credit law school course in “happiness and the law,” provides a much-needed handbook on the human side of legal education. Drawing on scientific research, decades of personal experience, and student reflections, Collins advances the thesis that a happy law student is more likely to be a successful law student. She argues that prioritizing well-being while navigating the stress, self-doubt, and emotional toll of law school contributes to one’s academic excellence. The book spans eight chapters, ranging from “The Wellbeing Advantage” and “The Physical Foundations of Wellbeing and High Performance” to “Advanced Learning Strategies for Law School” and “The Wellness-Informed Legal Job Search.” Supplementing these chapters are four appendices that include a law school to-do list, reading group activities, a sample exam grocery list, and selected resources.

I echo Professor Adam Dodek’s comment in the foreword that he wishes he had this book when he was in law school, and I suspect it will resonate with anyone who has lived through that experience. While reading, I recognised several strategies I had instinctively adopted during my own time in law school, although I lacked the scientific grounding to understand why they worked. Other suggestions were entirely new to me and, upon reflection, would have meaningfully helped my stress levels (and quite possibly my academic performance as well). This blend of validation and discovery makes the book both comforting and genuinely useful. What struck me most was how Collins seemed to anticipate my reactions as I read. More than once, I found myself thinking “Easier said than done!”, only to find a few paragraphs later Collins acknowledging precisely that same objection and offering practical ways to overcome it. Her awareness of her audience is one of the book’s greatest strengths. Collins does not simply prescribe: she engages in a dialogue with the reader, anticipating and addressing pushback with empathy and evidence.

Chapter 6, “Advanced Learning Strategies for Law School,” deserves special mention. The study tips Collins offers here are among the most practical advice in the book, covering everything from effective study breaks and regular review to how to actively study—and, just as importantly, how not to study—for exams. Her advice on social media usage is particularly realistic: rather than prescribing an unsustainable digital detox, Collins recognizes that social media is simply part of life and suggests structuring study breaks to still allow for checking one’s feeds. I especially appreciated her suggestion that students switch their laptops to airplane mode during study sessions, a deceptively simple act that acknowledges both the reality of distraction and the students’ capacity to manage it. That said, some of Collins’s advice will not be equally applicable across all law schools. At McGill, for instance, professors generally create their own course materials rather than using standard casebooks, and these materials usually do not include quizzes or practice problems for students to work through. Similarly, in my experience, professors did not make old exams available as preparation tools. Students at different schools may therefore need to adapt some of Collins’s more specific recommendations to their own contexts.

One of the more innovative aspects of the book is its workbook format. Collins leaves space throughout for readers to reflect and develop personalized strategies. I particularly appreciated the reading group activities and discussion questions in Appendix B, which encourage students to team up with classmates and apply the book’s suggestions collectively. The idea of transforming what can be an isolating experience into a collaborative one is both clever and entirely consistent with the book’s emphasis on social support as a pillar of well-being.

Also commendable is Collins’s willingness to recognise the limits of her expertise. When discussing topics such as mental health conditions, she does not overreach but instead refers readers to appropriate specialists and resources. This restraint lends credibility to the text and reflects a genuine concern for readers’ well-being.

Collins makes effective use of empirical research to support her arguments about the importance of self-care and happiness. For those of us trained to equate success with long hours and cramming, and who may be instinctively skeptical of wellness-oriented advice, being provided with clear studies supporting these claims is definitely persuasive. That said, as someone who routinely procrastinated—sometimes preparing course summaries up until just a few hours before an exam—and yet still excelled, I occasionally found myself wondering whether the studies cited were selectively chosen or whether contrary evidence exists. A more balanced engagement with the broader literature, or at least an acknowledgement of the potential limitations, would have helped quell my skepticism.

All in all, How to Succeed (and Stay Human) in Law School is an accessible and engaging read that encourages its readers to rethink their approach to law school, their legal careers, and their future happiness. Collins has produced a thoughtful and practical resource that fills a significant gap in legal education literature at a time when students and young lawyers are struggling with mental health concerns. This book should be made available in all academic law libraries, and I would highly recommend it to anyone entering or currently in law school.