Law schools are sexy. This is the impression of most ambitious, straight-A undergrads who look to their next move with romance and greed. Weaned on L.A. Law and multiple rentals of The Paper Chase, these bright young things look at a legal education as the final step in their ascendance to power.

Allan Hutchinson and Pam Marshall’s The Law School Book: Succeeding at Law School does a thorough job of reinforcing this myth and deconstructing it in alternate turns. This is the kind of book that should be handed out to everyone you know and love who articulates an interest in acquiring a legal education; it will serve a twofold function: discourage those who shouldn’t go (who will discover this after the first 20 pages) and those who should (who will read the entire text twice, highlight the important parts, and be prepared to sit an exam at the end).

This is not to say that The Law School Book is a dull read. In fact, the co-authors’ contributions play off each other nicely, as Hutchinson (an Osgoode Hall professor) and Marshall (a recent Osgoode grad and Hutchinson’s companion) lend their views from both the giving and receiving ends of the pedagogical stick. Through its 10 chapters, the reader progresses through the challenges of entering, studying, and passing and picks up some handy study tips and nuggets of legal philosophy along the way. There are tables that illustrate the admission requirements of Canadian law schools as well as the right steps to take in conducting legal research. The writing is clear and often witty.

People who are committed to becoming lawyers should definitely buy this book. And if they’re merely curious, they can always borrow it from the keener in the front row.