Ashurst corporate partner Steven Fox takes wise counsel from The Hungry Caterpillar

What's the closest you have come to doing something other than law? While I was at university I applied to join the diplomatic service. It was only after I did a vacation scheme placement at the end of my law degree that I realised I liked the practise of law a lot more than I liked studying law.

What's your proudest professional moment? Becoming a partner at Ashurst. It's all been downhill from there really!

…and worst day on the job? I once congratulated a partner's wife on being pregnant only to discover that she was not pregnant at all, which was a bit awkward. It's probably just as well I didn't become a diplomat after all.

Aside from your clients, which business figure do you most admire and why? David Brent. I think it's the goatee. Or that dance.

What's the best business book you've read? I find The Very Hungry Caterpillar to be a particularly incisive work on the perils of corporate greed. The Tiger Who Came to Tea is the quintessential guide to client entertaining – a must-read for aspiring City lawyers.

Has the recession changed the face of the legal profession? Yes. Lawyers are inevitably less transaction-based and more relationship-based. For partners in particular, this means more advisory work.

To what extent do you think the legal profession needs to change over the next 20 years? It will be interesting to see how firms adapt to the new economy and I think we'll see some interesting changes. I would expect to see the trend towards consolidation continue and possibly quicken. One of the biggest challenges law firms will face will be maintaining the high quality of candidates joining the profession.

What's your motto? Speak softly but carry a big stick.

Most memorable deal you have worked on and why? The initial public offering of Galen Holdings in 1997. It wasn't the biggest deal, but Galen was a loyal client of the firm and, after listing, went on to become a multi-national pharmaceutical company. A real success story.

What most annoys you about the banking profession? I hate the way that my local branch is never open on a Saturday afternoon. And those stupid pens that are chained to the counter.

What is the daftest bit of corporate jargon you've heard (and did you smirk)? It's a bit childish but I must admit that it still raises a smirk when I hear people refer to a "put up or shut up" as a PUSU (pronounced 'poohsooh').

What's your favourite fictional representation of a lawyer and why? It would have to be lieutenant Daniel Kaffee, Tom Cruise's character in A Few Good Men. He is proof, if it were needed, that you don't need to be tall to be a good lawyer.

To what extent would you agree with the following statement: 'Ally McBeal was a crime against a) the legal profession, b) television, c) the public'? I'm not sure I would go so far as to call it a crime – although I do find that dancing baby a bit disturbing.

Who has been the biggest influence on your career? There have been a number of partners past and present whose influence and guidance have been invaluable. They are too numerous to mention.

What's your favourite cheese? Cheestrings. Or Mini Babybel if I'm trying to impress.

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