As a great scholar once said, “Reading is Fundamental.” At Lawline, we believe this wholeheartedly and it has been an instrumental reason why we have held a company book club for over 5 years. The first step of our book club process is for Lawline employees to suggest book options and then we vote on them, and whosoever one wins is the person who runs the discussion. We choose two different books every quarter: One is a “professional development” book and the other is a “fun” book that can be any other genre.
The “fun” book read for April 2022 was “The Last Thing He Told Me suggested by Program Attorney Cali Franks,.” The author, Laura Dave, even gave a shout out to Cali and the Lawliners who participated in the book club! You can watch the message below from Laura Dave HERE! The “professional development” book club was Atomic Habits” by James Clear and was led by Joy Payne, Lawline’s Creative Content Producer and you can review her presentation HERE!
We asked Cali and Joy a few questions related to running their book club team discussions and their answers are below:
Why did you choose this book for the “fun” book club? (Cali)
I picked this book because it captivated more than a million readers since being published on May 4, 2021. Additionally, a large portion of the book takes place in Austin, Texas, and involves the University of Texas at Austin, which was very fitting for me as a graduate from the University of Texas and a lawyer. Due to its success on bookstore shelves, the book has been adapted for TV and it is currently being filmed for an Apple TV limited series starring Jennifer Garner.
How was your experience reaching out to the Author of the book? (Cali)
As a Program Attorney for Lawline, I curate CLEs for subscribers. As part of my job, I reach out to and connect with subject matter experts in the legal profession. For the April 2022 book club, I used my passion and skills to reach out to experts and sent a message to the book’s author, Laura Dave, telling her of Lawline’s book club and inviting her to join the discussion. Laura responded by initially declining the invitation to join the book club because she was going to be on set with the Executive Producer of the adaptation, Reese Witherspoon, at the date and time the book club was to meet. Despite Laura’s busy schedule, she was kind enough to send me a message greeting the Lawline book club members. Like the book, the end of her message leaves us wanting more.
How was your experience leading the book club? (Cali)
Leading the book club was fun and learning about the insights were fantastic. I am glad I got the opportunity to connect with the author which was the highlight of my experience!
Why did you choose this book for the “professional development” book club? (Joy)
I heard about Atomic Habits from a number of people in my network and decided that I had to try it out. I have also found productivity books to be extremely useful for practice in my everyday life and helping me transform my own habits.
How was your experience leading the book club? (Joy)
Leading this book club discussion was interesting because it is the first time I have done so virtually. I created a loose presentation structure to allow for natural and free flowing conversation. I enjoyed meeting with everyone and gaining a new perspective on the book after hearing everyone share their insights.
What is 1 thing you have learned from the book? (Joy)
One lesson I learned from this book was, one time habits can have a major impact on your daily life. James Clear shares a few examples of this such as: how buying a good mattress can help aid in overall general physical health; and purchasing smaller plates can reduce food intake; and unsubscribing from email list serves can clear your inbox clutter.
Lawline continues to find new ways to gather all employees together in our remote environment in order to maintain a connected company culture. The book club was a win for Lawliners and we can’t wait to see which books are next!