Vermont Bar Journal, Vol. 40, No. 2 Vermont Bar Journal, Summer 2019 | Page 11

JEB: I know our former VBA President,
Dan Richardson has done improv and stand-
up but maybe just in Boston. Have you seen
him or other lawyers there?
NG: No, but there are lawyers doing it. I
can’t recall any names.
JEB: Well I like the idea that improv is re-
ally good for mediation, and thinking on your
feet as lawyers, so at your suggestion for the
bar, we are doing an improv CLE the Thurs-
day night of our Annual Meeting on Septem-
ber 26th. Maybe it will be more lawyers that
are interested in doing improv after this.
RH: Oh, no. I don’t want the competition!
JEB: But then you could put together
a group of 5 to compete, to be the lawyer
team, but what would the name be?
NG: Of the lawyer team?
JEB: Yeah.
RH: We could think of a whole lot of off-
color suggestions I’m sure.
JEB: No improv?
NG: I was thinking of the joke, what’s one
good lawyer on the bottom of the Hudson.
JEB: Right, you could just call the team “A
Good Start” but of course I’m always in favor
of something more positive to help with the
public perception of lawyers. Maybe “Jus-
tice Crusaders” or something.
You both firmly believe that it has helped
your mediation practices, right?
NG: Oh, yes absolutely! It’s akin to media-
tion training, a renewal of sorts, it is refresh-
ing and it keeps your brain active. Here I am,
this old guy, working with very young people
who are really vibrant, and who are coming
up with these incredible things and you have
got to keep up with them. It keeps you fresh.
JEB: Isn’t that funny, my interviewees seem
to find polar opposite things to be refresh-
ing. For example, I interviewed Mark Oet-
tinger who plays high level duplicate bridge
and I said to him that most of the people I in-
terview want to do something physical, they
want to do a sport or something with their
hands, where they can shut their brain down
entirely to relax. So I asked him “is this relax-
ing for you to have to use your brain so stren-
uously?” He noted that using your brain in a
very different way, where it can be taxing but
also creative and fun, is extremely relaxing.
NG: Yes, it’s very energizing and relaxing
in the same breath.
RH: I think that is a really good point. I
see legal work as something that you go in
tighter and tighter, and it’s like you focus on
www.vtbar.org
what you are focusing on and then you are
focusing some more, but improv goes exact-
ly the other way. It’s like all of those circuits
that were so tightly honed on, for example,
whether this piece of evidence can get in or
not, in improv you are suddenly free to go
anywhere and set your mind free in a creative
space.
NG: And I wanted to add in terms of the
value of improv and comedy for people, not
just lawyers. When we moved to Burling-
ton, I became involved with a neighborhood
planning assembly and I was on the steering
committee for 5 years which was quite ac-
tive. And I became filled with angst about
pressing issues and I got burned out. But
then I focused a lot of my energy on improv,
and I think that in this very messed up world,
being able to have that escape of comedy
and have people laugh and enjoy things, is
really valuable, and not just to me, but I re-
ally do feel it helps everyone to come and es-
cape and see humor.
There was an improv group at college where
my hidden dream was to l join it, but I never
felt like I would be good enough, so I nev-
er did.
JEB: Laughter is one of the most impor-
tant things that keeps us all sane.
NG: Yes I even try in the right circumstanc-
es in the mediation to bring some humor into
the room. And I think it cuts the tension.
RH: But the one thing that I wanted to add
in keeping with your column goals, is that
there is an aspect to improv, that almost feels
like a meditative practice, kind of like yoga,
for me. It’s the freeing of the mind, to get ab-
sorbed in the moment.
JEB: Right, you have to be super mindful
to get into the scene. If you let your mind
wander then you are not part of the team
and you are not expanding on what they are
doing, but rather you are trying to be too
clever. But you have to be paying attention
the whole time and be present to what is go-
ing on, right?
RH: Yes, and I think that is the closest thing
to meditation or yoga, but a really good gig
just feels so much better even.
JEB: Ah! Like yoga and meditation, humor
and fun all wrapped into one, with the added
benefit that it is helpful to your law practices
too. Everybody should be doing this!
RH: Yes.
NG: Oh yes.
JEB: I am sold! See everyone on Septem-
ber 26th for an evening at the improv in Bur-
lington.
____________________
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 • SUMMER 2019
11