Travers corporate finance head Spencer Summerfield on advising in his sleep and cultivating sideburns

Why did you become a lawyer? My father was a Justice of the Peace and loved every minute of it. He encouraged me into the profession.

Who has been the biggest influence on your career? Alan Keat (Travers former senior partner) and Chris Hale (our current head of corporate). Alan taught me the law and Chris taught me how to provide the sort of service that clients want.

What's your proudest professional moment? Becoming corporate finance head in 2003.

…and worst day on the job? On one occasion (I had been up for three nights running) I was so tired that I fell asleep while giving advice to a client… luckily they woke me up and I carried on!

Aside from your own firm, which lawyer do you most admire and why? Guy Norman at Clifford Chance. He is very good at what he does and nice with it.

What's your strongest characteristic… and worst trait? I'd hope my strongest characteristic is my logical analysis. My worst trait is definitely my impatience.

What advice would you give to young deal lawyers starting out? It's important to try and get the broadest of trainings and make sure that you do not specialise too soon.

What's the best part of your job? Without a doubt, winning new clients and meeting interesting people.

What most annoys you about the legal profession? There are far too many deal lawyers who think that the only way to negotiate a transaction is aggressively
and loudly.

What's your strongest card – technical wizardry or smooth client skills (you can only pick one)? Neither. I think it is hard work.

What's the worst corporate event you've ever attended? An awards ceremony where I found out on arrival that there were more than 100 awards to be handed out (and we didn't win any of them)!

Most memorable deal you ever have worked on and why? NTL's acquisition of part of Cable & Wireless Communications. My client (NTL) crashed the party late in the day but after six weeks of non-stop negotiations we had a (complicated) deal – which we then spent 12 months rewriting.

What is the daftest bit of corporate jargon you've heard (and did you smirk)? "I hear what you say", which means "I will ignore that comment". (Yes, always).

What will be the most significant market trend in terms of your practice area over the next 12 months? I would imagine restructurings will continue to be popular and public takeovers may come back on the agenda as investors start to think the market is looking cheap. What I most hope is that at least by the second half of the next 12 months there is some increased deal activity.

Do you see yourself having a career outside law? For sure, but I doubt anywhere else would have me!

What's your favourite item of clothing? It's not clothing but I am most proud of my sideburns (which have taken 18 months to cultivate).

What's your favourite cheese? Stilton.