Alumni Interview: Five Things That Matter with Eamonn Campbell '07

Cultivating a life of curiosity can sometimes seem like a hazy concept. What actually comes from being curious? For Eamonn Campbell ’07, his thirst for knowledge helped him pursue various threads of interest, from athletics to science to law. Eamonn’s genuine interest in the world around him has served him well.

In October of this year, Eamonn brought his innate curiosity to the set of Jeopardy, where he became a two-time champion on the show. Eamonn’s performance earned him a spot in the Jeopardy Champions Wildcard Tournament, which will air in January 2025. When Eamonn was introduced on the show, he said he insisted on being introduced as “originally from Manchester, Vermont.” 

For those of us associated with Burr and Burton over the past 20, 50, or even 100 years, Eamonn’s insistence on being identified as of and from this place is understandable:  his family’s ties to the area and to Burr and Burton span back to the beginning. He is the youngest of four Campbell siblings to graduate from Burr and Burton Academy, following Tison Campbell ’99, Cailen Campbell McCormick ’02, and Anders Campbell ’05, as well as his Burr and Burton alumni parents Ed Campbell ’70 and Lynne Campbell ’75. 

Eamonn earned his bachelor of arts in public policy from Stanford University, graduating with honors. He went on to earn his law degree from Columbia Law School and served as a law clerk and intern for the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary when Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy chaired it. As counsel for a New York City law firm, Eamonn has plenty of opportunities to delve deeply into the law, working on antitrust, criminal law, and securities litigation.  

Love of the law came naturally to Eamonn, growing up watching his father, Ed, serve the Manchester community as an attorney. But as is the case with most families, Eamonn had his own ideas and has found his own path to his career in law, citing also the influence of his teachers, coaches, and mentors at Burr and Burton. 

The conversation with Eamonn covered a lot of ground, but his deep understanding of place and community was woven throughout our conversation. 

It’s a long audition process. Initially, I took an online test of 50 questions. If you get above a certain score on that test, they invite you to a second round on Zoom, where they are watching to see if you’re using other resources to answer the questions. After that, there’s a third round where it’s a simulated game where you and other potential contestants are on Zoom, and you actually simulate buzzing in to answer with a pen. After that game, you’re in the contestant pool, and if they think that you’d be a good fit for the show, they bring you on. The whole process took a long time - I did that first online test in 2022, and I taped the October episodes back in June of this year. To prepare, it was really just watching old episodes of Jeopardy to get a sense of the types of questions that they ask. There are little clues in the questions that can sort of guide you to the right answer. I didn’t study for it much beyond that because it’s so broad. I do a lot of trivia with friends, I read a lot, I follow things I’m interested in. If I hear something that interests me, I’ll look it up and take notes in my phone to remember it. I think there was a good amount of mental preparation ahead of being on Jeopardy. I would imagine myself up there answering questions, so when I was actually up there, it didn’t feel so strange. I think there are some (parallels to being on a gameshow and being a lawyer) in that you have to have tunnel vision a bit (in both) where you’re just focusing on the task. Something that’s also similar across both is a lot of preparation - putting in a lot of work and time beforehand to make sure that you are prepared for whatever might come up. I think it’s much easier to do in the case of a trial where it’s a relatively confined universe - what questions you’re going to ask the witness, what topics are going to come up. Whereas in Jeopardy, it could really be anything - from opera to World War II to biology. 

In law school, I was on Who Wants to be a Millionaire? That was more stressful than Jeopardy because it goes slower, and you’re in the middle of this dome with an audience around you, and I was there in the middle with Meredith Viera. So, it was harder to have that tunnel vision that I tried to get in Jeopardy. And, I was younger at the time, and the money meant a lot more to me back then, so I was more cautious with it.

I’m a generalist, so I work on anything and everything. One of the big cases for me recently was a big federal antitrust trial. We represented Penguin Random House, which is the biggest book publisher, and they were trying to buy Simon and Schuster, which was the third biggest book publisher, which presented some monopoly concerns. We went to trial down in (Washington) D.C., which was a great experience. Beyond that, I do a lot of securities litigation, some criminal work every now and then, contract disputes, arbitrations, and just a broad range of items that come across my desk. I like being in court and arguing hearings, motions, taking witnesses. You kind of have tunnel vision a bit when you’re just focusing on the task (in a trial). 

Definitely watching my Dad had an impact. Even though I didn’t have much insight at the time into what his work was like day-to-day, it just seemed appealing to me. And, then my brother Tison went to law school, and he graduated when I was starting college, so I saw that he was going down that path. While I was at BBA, I thought about studying different things. I took an anatomy class and AP Bio because I thought I might go into medicine. But, law and policy were always at the back of my mind. 

At BBA, I really liked social sciences. Mr. Wright showed us the impact that law can have on society and that helped fuel my interest in the law. I had the opportunity to take an online AP Government class when I was a senior, because it wasn’t offered at the school at that time. Mr. Wright supported me in that endeavor as well. He also taught my Mom and all of my siblings, so he’s a big part of our family. Mr. Nicholson also had a big influence on me. He was my homeroom/advisory teacher starting in my freshman year, and I had him through AP English. He always gave me a lot of books to read outside of class that were impactful, and that I still think about today. I’m due for a re-read on a couple of them. Mr. Nicholson supported me and another student over the summer one year when we endeavored to write a one-act play. We met with him over the summer and talked about the play. In the end, we didn’t get very far, because fall sports and school got in the way, but it was a great experience. And, I had Mr. Curtis for AP Bio, and he was also a basketball coach, so he had a big impact as well. Having teachers like that who had that level of respect and connection was incredible. I think it’s present in the DNA of Burr and Burton, really, to treat students as unique people with unique interests and viewpoints. That was certainly my experience.

For the soccer state championship, I was a freshman and kind of half on the team. I didn’t play every game with the varsity team, but I came up for certain games and the playoffs. Being a part of that championship team was really formative as a freshman. I felt swept up in the incredible culture, and just being a part of the team was a really great experience. The basketball championship happened in my junior year, with Coach Seth Rice. My basketball teammates are still some of my closest friends to this day, and being part of that team had a huge impact on my life and was so meaningful to me. Dylan (Baker ’07), who is a current BBA coach, got married this summer, which was a great reason for us all to get back together. I also was a part of the track team, and I was part of a relay team that did well and set a state record. I’m sure it has been broken many times over since then! My brother (Anders) was on the track team with me for two of my years, which was a lot of fun and a good chance to bond with him. (Being the youngest of four siblings) was great. I feel like I came into Burr and Burton with a bit of an advantage because they all were good students, did well athletically, and were involved in extracurriculars. So I got to stand on their shoulders a little bit. I think it was easier for me having their reputation to ride off of. I was there for two years with Anders, and his friends were all really nice and welcoming. 

I had law and government with Mr. Wright, and my senior year, we focused on Vermont politics. We had a lot of candidates for office come in and speak to the class about issues that were important to Vermont at the time, including the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant. That was a big source of power and energy in Vermont at the time. I also did an AP Bio project with Mr. Curtis about Vermont Yankee, and I drove out there and did a survey to see if there were any noticeable environmental impacts from the plant. I took water samples and observed the wildlife. I think I took soil samples. Having that multidisciplinary approach to an important issue that I was interested in at the time was so valuable. It was (meaningful) that BBA supported me and had the resources to help me. And, my brother is a nuclear regulatory attorney, and he was a physics major and always interested in nuclear power, so I pulled all of those interests together into my thesis. I liked looking at Vermont local issues through the lens of my community and family and getting a policy perspective on nuclear power in Vermont. I think all of my classes at BBA were intertwined in some way, even in this example with English and biology. There were always things we talked about in one class that would come up in another class. It always felt related and interconnected in a way that made the learning environment fun for me.

I certainly think about it. It’s not something I want to do anytime soon - I really like being in New York and I find myself caught up in being part of the city with everything that goes on here. But there is definitely an allure of going back to Vermont, particularly Manchester. I find myself thinking about it often. I do try and go up for long weekends whenever I can. I think it’s something that I’ll always want to do and hope to do someday. 

 

Stay in touch with your classmates and friends. They’re great people! Some of my best friends are my BBA classmates. 

Follow your interests. As narrow or as niche as they might be, if you follow your interests, it will lead you and help you in the future. 

Remember your time at BBA. I still look back fondly on my experiences there. Whether they’re big moments, like sports championships, or just little moments like hanging out and eating lunch on the hill, these times have enriched my life, and they are things that I treasure. 

What are some of your favorite books you’ve read this year?
North Woods by Daniel Mason

The History of Sound by Ben Shattuck

Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar

Orbital by Samatha Harvey

Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino

The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers

Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard

Character Limit by Ryan Mac and Kate Conger

Powers and Thrones by Dan Jones

The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson

Penguin Random House/Simon Schuster proposed merger (NPR 11/1/22, NYT 11/21/22)

Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station (VT Dept. of Public Service)
The VIEW, spring 2024 interview with Ed Campbell ’70