Who says that lawyers arse about just so they can say that they closed the deal at 3am?

Certainly the partner at one top 10 London firm who recently found himself stuck in the office in the wee hours thanks to the nit-picking performance of the Clifford Chance (CC) lawyer on the other side.

"He was a real pain in the arse," the mole told The Diary. "We were plotting how we could get rid of him."

Then the quibbling CC-er added insult to injury when, after keeping everyone from their beds, one lull in the tough negotiations turned out to be, not some clever let-the-rivals-stew-on-it-tactical pause, but the result of the partner falling asleep in the other room.

Reports of a CC partner with only one eyebrow and 'twat' written on his head in magic marker were sadly unconfirmed as LW went to press.