A: The thimble is special to me because I used it to win the U.S. National Championship. I have memories tied to the thimble and I would like for it to be there when I have the opportunity to teach my son to play Monopoly. I think people have memories tied to the tokens. People often come up to me and tell me stories about the games of Monopoly they have played. It will be sad to see a classic token be retired.
Q: What piece would you get rid of instead, and why? What new piece would you introduce?
A: I just hope the thimble is not retired. I understand that people have memories tied to different tokens, and it will be a shame to see one go. Of the new choices, I like the helicopter.
Q: What advice would you give a new law graduate who wants to be a transactional lawyer?
A: To be a good transactional lawyer it helps to seek out classes in law school that are geared toward transactional lawyers. While at the University at Buffalo Law School I was able to participate in the finance transactions concentration, which offered many hands-on transactional law courses. Also, I think it is important to find jobs, while in law school, that afford you the opportunity to do work beyond research and writing. You need to read contracts and understand how deals are negotiated.
Q: What advice would you give a would-be Monopoly champion?
A: To be a Monopoly champion you need to understand the basic mathematics and then you need to play as many games as you can. You need to learn how to adapt to different situations and how to make good deals to put yourself in a position to win.
Q: Any little-known Monopoly tricks you'd like to share?
A: Going to jail is bad in the beginning of the game and good at the end.
@|Brendan Pierson can be contacted at bpierson@alm.com.
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