1. IF YOU COULD BE ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD, WHERE WOULD YOU BE? On a beach, almost anywhere warm. I'm partial to Lake Michigan sand dunes in the summer and Gulf of Mexico white sands in the winter.

2. WHAT'S SPINNING ON YOUR CD PLAYER? I'm a child of the '60s. I can listen to the Beatles, Dylan, and Neil Young all day. But, hey, they are on CD, sometimes even MP3. My records are only good for the covers.

3. IT'S TIME FOR A SECOND CAREER; WHAT DO YOU CHOOSE? I like being creative, so I'd be interested in advertising, marketing, or public relations. But since I like pulling projects together and making deals — and I really like the movies — my secret fantasy is to be a movie producer.

4. IF YOU COULD LIVE THE LIFE OF A MOVIE CHARACTER, WHO WOULD IT BE? Atticus Finch: a great role model for lawyers, and everyone, everywhere.

5. WHAT'S THE BEST BOOK YOU READ IN THE PAST YEAR? Robert A. Caro's three-volume biography of Lyndon Johnson. The most recent, Master of the Senate, is particularly good (it won the Pulitzer Prize) — a fascinating story, well told.

Jed Mandel, a frequent CMI columnist, is a partner in the Chicago-based law firm of Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg, where he heads the trade and professional association practice.