Simmons' spiky litigator folds on the cheese question but takes a hard line on Jack Bauer's legal tactics

What's the closest you have come to doing something other than law? My science major in experimental psychology sorely tempted me to pursue that field, but I ended up finding plenty of interest in intellectual property and trade practices/competition law, when I wasn't playing hockey on yet another field.

What's your proudest professional moment? I have hugely enjoyed litigating competition and free movement cases in the European courts in Luxembourg, involving lots of interesting fundamental questions of law as well as the thrills of advocacy.

…and worst day on the job? More than a decade ago, I had a close call on making a Brussels merger filing by the afternoon deadline. We made it, but the experience taught me to build in a comfort factor for hard deadlines wherever possible.

Aside from your clients, which business figure do you most admire and why? My impression is that Steve Jobs of Apple has both battled adversity and been a positive force.

What's the best business book you've read? I like science and literature, so I find it hard to get past the first pages of business books.

Has the recession changed the face of the legal profession? Undoubtedly, although at the high-value end, where relatively modest teams deal with complex procedures of great value to clients, I think we are already demonstrating proficiency and value in a way that our clients recognise.

To what extent do you think the legal profession needs to change over the next 20 years? The idea that the external lawyer should always form a team on a flexible basis with the client's in-house counsel, without stuffiness or preconceptions as to precisely what each member of the team will do, will become more important. It reflects best practice today but, I understand, is not universally observed.

What's your motto? "Do unto others…", actually.

Most memorable deal you have worked on and why? The most memorable was an infringement case which was not proceeded with, where the procedure was fascinating and the evidence unusual. You'll understand I can't say more.

What is the daftest bit of corporate jargon you've heard (and did you smirk)? Can I answer 'just put it in the risk factors', which we heard in relation to flotations before the dot-com crash in 2000?

What's your favourite fictional representation of a lawyer and why? Atticus Finch, in To Kill a Mockingbird – if I remember it right – is an admirable, thoughtful and wise role model, which is how I see 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 more concerned about Jack Bauer's approach in 24 inspiring lawyers in the US administration to approve 'enhanced interrogation techniques', including some that our courts consider amounting to torture.

Who has been the biggest influence on your career? My father, an aeronautical engineer with the highest professional standards.

What's your favourite cheese? Can I exercise my prerogative as a sometimes spiky litigator to suggest that that could not possibly be of interest to your readers? Unless they were proposing to invite me to dinner, in which case, it's anything with character that goes with the wine but doesn't overpower it.

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