A: Presently, I don't play often. When I was preparing for the tournaments I was playing regularly with family, friends, and online. At that time, I was probably playing five to 10 games a week.
Q: Do you play with any other lawyers?
A: I played with other lawyers in the tournaments. I think lawyers are good at Monopoly because the game is about negotiating and calculating risk. I know that being a corporate lawyer helps me in a game. My experience as a corporate lawyer helps me structure good deals.
Q: How supportive is your firm of your Monopoly career?
A: Phillips Lytle has been very supportive of my Monopoly "career." The firm shows a great level of interest and offered support on the "Thumbs Up for the Thimble" campaign. Phillips Lytle is a great place to work and the lawyers are supportive of one another.
Q: A lot of people think of Monopoly as mostly a game of luck. But what kind of skills do you need to play Monopoly at the highest levels?
A: To play Monopoly at the highest level you need to have at least a basic understanding of the mathematics behind the game. For example, you have to know which properties are landed on most frequently, the odds of rolling certain numbers on the dice, when to make investments in property and how to get the best return on your investments. In addition, you need to be able to read your opponents and make good deals. There are times when the dice are not going your way and you need to make creative deals to get yourself in a position to win. It is very rare that you win a game of Monopoly without making any trades.
Q: Your own practice involves mergers and acquisitions. The parallel with Monopoly is obvious. Do you use any of the same skills in your law and Monopoly careers?
A: I use the same skills in my legal career as in my Monopoly career. As a lawyer I negotiate deals and I do the same around the Monopoly board. I also use the same strategies to structure a fair deal for all parties. When negotiating deals, whether in Monopoly or in my law practice, I need to determine which deal points are most important for all parties involved and to ensure that everybody walks away satisfied. At the highest level in Monopoly, you are not going to find too many one-sided trades. You need to structure a deal that is fair, but still puts you (or your client) in the position they want to be in after the deal is completed.
Q: You've spoken out to save the thimble, which Hasbro might replace with a new piece. What's special about the thimble and why is it important to keep it?
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