Nabarro real estate partner Ciaran Carvalho on sink-or-swim deals and nauseating Christmas parties

Why did you become a lawyer? I've always enjoyed negotiating and trying to influence people and I thought the law would provide plenty of opportunities for that. Someone suggested I become a lawyer when I was playing Scrabble as a 14-year-old, when I tried persuading a competitor of the merits of a particular word without a dictionary.

What's your proudest professional moment? Being made a partner.

…and worst day on the job? Hanging around for most of the day at Snaresbrook Crown Court as a trainee waiting for my client's case to be heard when I had a lot of work to do back at the office. The frustration and irritation I experienced that day made me realise I didn't have the desire – or patience – to be a litigator.

What's your strongest characteristic… and worst trait? Versatility… and multi-tasking (which can, on occasion, result in trying to do too much at the same time).

Outside your own firm, which lawyers do you most admire and why? At my former firm, Dechert, Bart Winokur for his drive and business acumen, Steven Fogel for his creativity and Jack Gillies for his leadership. Elsewhere, Robin Mitchell at Norton Rose for his intelligence and pragmatism and Martin Elliot at Linklaters for his commercial sense and always being a pleasure to deal with.

What advice would you give to young deal lawyers starting out? Get into good habits early, pay attention to detail, work hard and strive for excellence. Most of all, make sure you enjoy what you do.

What most annoys you about the legal profession? Pompous and unhelpful lawyers (thankfully I haven't come across any at Nabarro and such people are increasingly rare within the legal profession).

What's your strongest card – technical wizardry or smooth client skills? I am not a technical wizard nor smooth, but like to think of myself as reasonably good on both levels – though there's always room for improvement.

What will be the most significant market trend in terms of your practice area over the next 12 months? Banks are getting to grips with their non-performing loans and we are likely to see some consolidation, more restructurings and potential unwinding of some commercial mortgage-backed securities positions. This should lead to more transactional work in the real estate market. Those with capital will be well placed – cash will be king.

Most memorable deal you have worked on, and why? The acquisition of Merry Hill as a two-year qualified lawyer. The land was in an enterprise zone and had to be acquired in phases. It was a multi-million pound tax-structured deal and mobiles were unreliable, so without easy access to the partner it was sink or swim.

What's the worst corporate event you've attended? A Christmas party on a cramped floating vessel (from which there was no escape) where the ceilings were low and condensation gathered on the ceilings and windows.

Do you see yourself having a career outside law? When I stop practicing law I envisage doing some charitable/pro bono work and travelling, as well as having some more time to reduce my golf handicap.

What is on your ipod at the moment? An eclectic mix: Astrud Gilberto, The Killers, Coldplay, Style Council, Jools Holland and the artists they play before and after matches at Arsenal Football Club (Robbie Williams, Elvis and Van Morrison).

Favourite cheese? Stilton.

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