Rafael Sebastian, of Spain's Uria Menendez, on creative solutions, keeping calm and casually dressed Englishmen in Madrid

Why did you become a lawyer?

Despite graduating with a law degree, I began as a banker. After a while I started to become frustrated by the advice I received from in-house counsel, and increasingly interested in legal solutions to complex, corporate transactions. So I decided to change hats. Eventually I became general counsel of an international bank, before joining Uria Menendez.

Who has been the biggest influence on your career?

Rodrigo Uria, without a doubt. Mr Uria, who was the managing partner of Uria Menendez for many years, was the model lawyer because of his intelligence, charisma, foresight and business sense.

What is your proudest professional moment?

When a client is pleased with my -services.

… and worst day on the job?

If I do not meet a client's expectations.

What is the most common cultural misunderstanding when working on deals between Spain and the UK?

Spain is much more formal than the United Kingdom. I remember a negotiation on a Saturday in early September in Madrid.

We met at the offices of the Spanish party and despite the fact that the heat was intense, the air conditioning was switched off on weekends. In the middle of the negotiation, the senior negotiator for the English client went to the restroom and changed into shorts and a T-shirt. When he returned, his Spanish counterparts, all of whom were wearing suits, stared in disbelief!

Curiously enough, such seemingly trivial differences can affect the substance of negotiations.

What is your strongest characteristic…and worst trait?

I would say the ability to craft creative solutions to complex legal problems. My worst is the pressure that I put on my colleagues to meet aggressive deadlines.

Aside from your own firm, which lawyer do you admire most and why?

Jaime San Roman of Clifford Chance in Madrid. He is very creative, yet also easygoing – and remains calm in the most trying of circumstances.

How do you sell yourself in client pitches?

I seek to be completely transparent in terms of what I, and the firm, can offer by way of legal services, responsiveness, availability and fee arrangements.

What advice would you give to young deal lawyers starting out?

This is a very demanding profession that requires willpower, sacrifice and a constant drive for excellence. If a young lawyer is not willing to work in that way, they should pursue another profession.

What's the best part of your job?

The fact that each transaction presents unique issues and challenges.

What most annoys you about the legal profession in Spain?

Having worked on many occasions with counsel in foreign jurisdictions (such as England and Wales, New York and Delaware), I sometimes envy the flexibility of the common law, especially with regard to corporate matters.

What will be the most significant market trend in terms of your practice area over the next 12 months?

I anticipate that we will see an entirely different scenario in which corporate restructurings, industrial acquisitions and insolvencies of major companies will play a large part.

What would you do if you were not a lawyer?

A law school professor.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

At Uria Menendez.

What is the best lawyer joke you've heard?

A woman and her little girl were visiting the grave of the little girl's grandmother. On their way through the cemetery back to the car, the little girl asked, "Mummy, do they ever bury two people in the same grave?" "Of course not, dear." replied the mother. "Why would you think that?"

"The tombstone back there said, 'Here lies a lawyer and an honest man.'"

Where do you usually take your summer holiday?

Menorca, where I enjoy sailing and horse riding.

Global firms – what do you think of them?

Interesting, not appealing, difficult to manage and with quality control -challenges.

What is your favourite cheese?