Vermont Bar Journal, Vol. 40, No. 2 Vermont Bar Journal, Fall 2018, Vol. 44, No. 3 | Page 13

JEB: Oh, because the more you exercise
your brain, the better it gets…
MO: I’m not sure if it is to get the brain
running or get it completely thinking along
a different track and NOT about exams, but
I do think it reorganizes your brain. I’m not
much of a musician, but the notion of play-
ing an instrument is the same in that sense
that you are requiring great skill and men-
tal concentration in a different way. That is
what makes it so refreshing. Even though it
is intensely cerebral, it’s a huge change and
it is refreshing. Although admittedly, I’m
a much better player when I’m away from
work at a bridge tournament, rather than
working all day and then playing.
JEB: Right, at some point you are spent.
But you find the time to do both?
MO: Yes, I have a very busy practice. I
also do ski patrol, I do international judicial
work on human rights, and I do a monthly
pro bono clinic at the First Congregation-
al Church in Burlington with Susan Ellwood
and Robert Backus.
JEB: Do you ever just watch bad TV or
read bad thriller novels? Or do you not
find a need to totally shut down your mind
or meditate?
MO: I exercise and garden. Gardening
serves that purpose, since I haven’t been
able to run anymore. I’m not a big TV per-
son, and my vision doesn’t allow me to read
recreationally. I do read about bridge, and
I collect bridge books [readers, are you lis-
tening?]. I have a shelf of bridge books over
12’ long! One of my favorites is Following
the Law (and yes, it’s a bridge book!). There
are ‘laws,’ such as: you are generally safe to
bid at the level of which you and your part-
ner have combined trumps. If you have 9
Spades between you…
JEB: You are safe to bid 3 spades?
MO: Yes! You’ve got it. And if you don’t
make it, you’ll lose fewer points than you
would have lost if your opponents had in-
stead won the bid.
JEB: Immutable truths of bridge?
MO: Yes, this is the actually the second
book in the series. The first is To Bid or Not
to Bid, kind of the bridge equivalent of
Prosser on Torts.
www.vtbar.o rg
JEB: And you find bridge to be a pursuit
that is relaxing and challenging and so dif-
ferent from the practice of law that it brings
you happiness? And you aren’t fighting for
clients’ livelihood so it’s a different kind of
pressure too.
MO: A similar endorphin rush, with
stakes not as high.
way to relax.
MO: Relax and grow I’d say. As an ex-
ample, I played in law school with a few
people that were strong bridge players
in the area. My partner was second in his
class, the class ahead of me. The one I
played against then was the valedictorian
of my class. We would almost invariably
play bridge right before exams…
JEB: What’s your next goal after Silver
Life Master?
MO: I’m about half way to the next lev-
el, and I will probably attain the one after
that, but I am limited in that respect by hav-
ing spent so much time away. But in terms
of an elite online ranking, that is more at-
tainable.
JEB: So, do you play bridge casually or
at tournaments with your wife?
MO: She used to play with us sometimes
in college, but I can’t convince her to really
pick it back up again or go to big tourna-
ments. I did get the bridge club to host a
fundraiser for my step daughter when she
was competing for Miss Vermont and so
that’s the last bridge tournament she went
to but it’s just not her thing. And that was
the right involvement with bridge because
the fundraiser worked and my step daugh-
ter became Miss Vermont.
JEB: Your step daughter is Miss Ver-
mont?
MO: She was in 2011, and she traveled
to over 300 venues to help young people
register to vote, and worked to empower
girls and young women through involve-
ment in politics. She helped shepherd the
Vermont constitutional amendment that al-
lows 17-year-olds to vote in the primary if
they will be 18 before the general election.
She now works at Mitzi Johnson’s chief of
staff.
JEB: That’s amazing, you must be so
proud!
MO: Yes, we are.
JEB: Who knew bridge could do and be
so many things. And be relaxing!
MO: It really is. I’d urge anyone to con-
tact their local bridge club if they have any
interest. They are all anxious to welcome
new people, and many clubs offer protect-
ed games, and provide lessons to get as-
piring players and returnees started.
JEB: Thanks for sharing your passion for
bridge with us, Mark.
MO: Thanks for interviewing me.
____________________
Do you want to nominate yourself or a fel-
low VBA member to be interviewed for Pur-
suits of Happiness? Email me at jeb@vtbar.
org.
THE VERMONT BAR JOURNAL • FALL 2018
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