Dechert corporate partner Jonathan Angell on 'misplacing' £40m and his passion for the theatre

Why did you become a lawyer?  Originally, I wanted to be an actor – but performing in a village pantomime in the southwest of Cambridge wasn't quite the West End I had set out to conquer.  I then realised that the legal profession offered plenty of opportunities to indulge my acting 'talents' (quite aside from the obvious similarities with pantomime).

What's your proudest professional moment? Clients often say that lawyers are only as good as their last deal; so, my last deal.

…and worst day on the job?  It's a tie. 'Misplacing' £40m pounds was a special moment (the system held it overnight in limbo somewhere between our client account and the seller's lawyers' client account).  It delayed completion for 24 hours and led to a number of awkward conversations with our client, the seller, the seller's lawyers and our managing partner. It has also proved difficult to forget a 16-hour conference call with Clifford Chance, which started at 4pm on 7 July 2005 (a tragic date imprinted on everyone's memory).  We had been told that the clients' deadline (the following day) could not be moved – period. It was clearly impractical for either firm to travel to the other. Needless to say, the deal wasn't signed on 8 July.

Aside from your own firm, which lawyer do you most admire and why? For deal-doing, Charlie Geffen – still a pre-eminent figure in European private equity.

What's your strongest characteristic…and worst trait? According to my wife, my strongest characteristics are kindness and calmness. As for my worst trait, she mentioned something about not listening properly, but I wasn't really paying attention by that point.

What advice would you give to young deal lawyers starting out? Put yourself in the client's shoes – always think of the service you are providing from that perspective.

What's the toughest ethical/moral dilemma your job has ever presented you with? While a junior associate, I spent several days in possession of a signed payment authority from our client, a French bank.  The mandate was for 'blank' million pounds in favour of 'blank' (each blank was duly initialled).  Everyone on the team – even if only momentarily and in jest – did the same calculation: how big would the number have to be and would it be possible to get to a safe jurisdiction in time?

What most annoys you about the legal profession? Those who revel in pedantry.

What's the worst corporate event you've ever attended? A partner retreat at the Honourable Artillery Company in London (apologies to my former partners at Ashurst who are returning there again this year).

Most memorable deal you ever have worked on and why? Given my love of theatre and prematurely-curtailed acting career, advising Andrew Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Group on its acquisition of the (former) Stoll Moss theatres in London.

What is the daftest bit of corporate jargon you've heard? The investment banker who advised his client not to "open the kimono" too early during due diligence.

Do you see yourself having a career outside law? As soon as the West End talent scouts realise the error of their ways.

What's your favourite cheese? I am a fan of Tornegus (in part I admit because my sister, a nurse, likens its aroma to a suppurating wound), but it has to be Stilton.

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