A new book from Professor Lynda Collins helps students stay human in law school

By Common Law

Communication, Faculty of Law

March 28, 2025

2 images, side by side. On left the cover of a book showing a female university student, sitting outside with a laptop on her lap. On the right is Lynda Collins
The legal profession is synonymous with high pressure, and for many, that pressure starts in law school. The relentless push for excellence often leads to anxiety, depression, and burnout.

A new book seeks to address this situation, giving students access to a healthier law school experience. 

In How to Succeed (and Stay Human) in Law School: Pathways to Happiness and High Performance in the Study and Practice of Law (Emond Publishing, 2025), Professor Lynda Collins offers a roadmap for managing the stress, self-doubt, and mental health challenges that are all too common in legal education. Drawing on decades of research and her experience teaching her popular “Happiness and the Law” course, Professor Collins provides practical strategies to help law students build resilience, navigate challenges, and thrive in their studies and future careers.

The book presents compelling scientific evidence that cultivating well-being is the most reliable path to academic success. Professor Collins addresses specific skills that students can develop, from note-taking and self-testing to strategies for engaging with professors. She also covers the topic of job hunting from a wellness perspective, and it incorporates reflections from former law students about strategies they found helpful in working their way through law school and beyond.

While awareness of mental health issues in the legal profession is growing, the need for concrete skills and mental health literacy remains urgent. Professor Collins’ book reinforces her belief that well-being isn’t just a personal concern – it’s a foundational skill for a successful legal career.

Learn more about How to Succeed (and Stay Human) in Law School.

Professor Collins previously discussed mental health and happiness in the legal profession in a video on the Jurivision platform: Happiness and Wellbeing: A Fundamental Skillset for Lawyers.

Beyond her research interests in law student and lawyer wellness, Professor Collins is also an expert in environmental human rights at the domestic and international levels including constitutional environmental rights, Indigenous environmental rights, rights of nature, and environmental rights in private law. In 2021, she published The Ecological Constitution: Reframing Environmental Law (Routledge).