written by Dana M. Heyde
OC Lawyer Magazine, March 2022
I read books to take a journey, but I never imagined the personal journey my love of books would take me on. As a child, I devoured the entire series of The Baby-Sitters Club. In the seventh grade, I decided to become a lawyer after reading John Grisham’s A Time to Kill. In college, my passion for the written word allowed me to breeze through classes as an English major. I actually enjoyed going to the campus bookstore to buy the books.
It became apparent that spending time on something enjoyable each night was crucial to balancing the rigors of the profession.
Once I passed the bar, I worried that my high billing requirements would limit my reading, but the opposite happened. During those first years as a young lawyer, it felt as if I was sent to a million case management conferences and depositions. To capitalize on all the down time, I always carried a book with me. I easily met my hours with all the traveling and the waiting gave me time to read three books a week.
Daunted by the prospect of arriving at a large event, countless new OCWLA members first attend the Book Club to meet others in a small group setting.
Where Will a Book Take You
In 2016, I was on the board of the Orange COunty Women Lawyers Association and shared my passion for reading with President Allyson Thompson. She encouraged me to lead a book club for OCWLA. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to meet other attorney who shared my passion for reading. I crossed my fingers as the first few book clubs were scheduled and hoped it would be successful. The result was immediately positive!
Over the past six years, the OCWLA Book Club has grown to be a thriving group of professional who, like me, feel compelled to discuss the books they read. By reminiscing about our favorite reads, an immediate connection is forged, and networking comes easily.
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