Linklaters' Michael Voisin on a drunken debut partner retreat, drafting from long-hand and AAA nonsense

Why did you become a lawyer? I am the fifth generation lawyer in my family. It seemed like a good job, so I fell into it from an early age.

Who has been the biggest influence on your career? Andrew Carmichael at Linklaters, who I worked with on a broad range of transactions while I was an associate and whose mentoring and development of my legal and client skills was invaluable. As a partner, Michael Canby and Charles Clark, also at Linklaters, both of whom have provided me with invaluable support.

What has been your worst day on the job? 16 February, 2009, when I had to speak to individuals within my group to let them know whether or not they were at risk of redundancy.

Outside your own firm which lawyers do you most admire and why? I very much enjoyed working with Hannes Schneider of Hengeler Mueller on the establishment of the first MTN programme for a German Landesbank. I was a mid-level associate at the time, while he was one of the pre-eminent capital markets lawyers in Germany. I have also enjoyed working with Andrew Moon of Maples and Calder, who was outstanding in getting deals done, and Carol Hui when she was at BG, who should be giving masterclasses in how to get the most out of your legal advisers. Finally, my wife…

What's your strongest characteristic… and worst trait? My strongest characteristic is probably my ability to look at the big picture while being able to deal with the detail. This is something that I have had to work at over the years. My worst trait is probably my tendency to be overemotional.

What advice would you give to young deal lawyers starting out? This is a tremendously rewarding job, and, as with most of life, the more you put in, the more you will get out. It isn't a job for someone with a half-hearted commitment, but the ability to balance work with other commitments is important.

What most annoys you about the profession? Pomposity and arrogance – though they are less prevalent than they used to be.

What's your strongest card – technical wizardry or smooth client skills (you can only pick one)? I wouldn't use either phrase for myself, but I rate my technical skills above my client skills.

What's the worst corporate event you've ever attended? While I enjoyed the event, I got hopelessly (and somewhat publicly) drunk at my first partners' retreat. The next morning, in a futile attempt to rehydrate myself, I managed to interrupt a full plenary session by knocking over all the bottles of water on a side table to the hilarity of the entire room.

Most memorable deal you have ever worked on and why? I would have to go for the establishment of a hedge fund financing platform for Credit Suisse. I came back to the office after the birth of my eldest child to find myself immersed in structuring and documenting this new platform. Pretty much every document was written long-hand as there were no suitable precedents and our small team worked non-stop to meet the deadline. The documentation stood the test of time and was reverse engineered by competitors.

What's the daftest piece of corporate jargon you've heard? The justification of a AAA rating for a number of structured products on the basis of historically-observed fluctuations in prices. It may not sound the daftest, but it may be the most expensive.

Favourite item of clothing? I am an inveterate hoarder and managed to hang on to a pair of boating shoes that I had owned from age 13 until my wife finally managed to throw them out a few years ago.

Favourite cheese? I would have to go for an unpasteurised mature farmhouse camembert, which has to be served up with French bread and a great Cotes du Rhone.

Visit Legal Week's Dealmaker archive to read more profiles.