Lovells capital markets head Sharon Lewis gets in a nod to Hogan and salutes the Pooh school of management

What's the closest you have come to doing something other than law? It would have to be something creative to do with music, interior design or jewellery. I have not given up on any of them, but thought that I could save them for afterwards.

Who has been the biggest influence on your career? Undoubtedly my husband, Philip Boys, whom I met as an assistant in Slaughter and May and who then followed me to Lovells. His diplomacy and bilingual drafting skills are second to none, and he has given me lessons in patience. My other mentor is David Hudd (Lovells head of finance), particularly for his excellent client skills and for always being there for me.

What's your worst day on the job? Being taken to hospital for an emergency operation while closing two deals. It was before the time of the BlackBerry so I was there with assistants milling around my bedside. I never told the clients.

Aside from your clients, which business figure do you most admire and why? In our current context, it must be Warren Gorrell (chairman of Hogan & Hartson), up there with David Harris.

What's the best book you've ever read on business? Winnie-the-Pooh on Management – there are a lot of good tips.

What's the worst character trait of the archetype commercial lawyer? Arrogance. The worst I have ever come across is the lawyer who treated me as "la petite Anglaise". This did not go down well with a Welsh woman!

Has the recession changed the face of the legal profession? Of course, and it has not finished. A number of banks and businesses have disappeared and, among our clients, large numbers of people have left, many of whom will not come back to their profession. It is illusory to believe that law firms can ignore that.

To what extent do you think the legal profession needs to change over the next 20 years? My view is that there will be significant consolidation in the legal profession over the next 20 years, reflecting what has happened to our clients.

What most annoys you about the banking profession? The profession is very mobile, even outside recession, so it is difficult to make longstanding contacts, and therefore it is much harder to build strong relationships with banks than with corporate clients.

What's your strongest card – technical wizardry or smooth client skills? In the end, the quality of the work must come first and so it would have to be technical wizardry, but it sure does help if that quality can be presented as commercially and smoothly as possible, which is what I aim to do.

What's your motto? To lead by example. I set very high standards for myself and expect them of others. I also try to remember that what I say or do will leave an impression, and I would rather the impression be positive than negative.

What's the worst corporate event you've ever attended? The partners' conference where I was in the front row on Sunday morning and a fellow female partner (no longer at Lovells) fell asleep on my lap in front of the beady eyes of our then senior partner.

What's your favourite fictional representation of a lawyer? Rumpole of the Bailey. I loved the books – still do. When I first read them, I thought that this must be representative of the legal profession. I was wrong about that, at least as far as my work goes.

What's your favourite cheese? To the despair of my French colleagues, I eat very little cheese despite having lived in France for over 20 years; I cannot get beyond the fact that most of them smell of babies' nappies.

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