Work Life Quiz: Antoine Tchekhoff, Foucaud Tchekhoff Pochet et Associés
If you weren’t a lawyer what would you have been? An art or antiques dealer.
Antoine Tchekhoff
What was your first-ever job?
Carrying out field surveys.
What was your worst experience as a trainee?
Relocating the international operations of a certain well-known madam.
Where’s the best place to go if you want to find out what’s really going on in the office?
The bar in the Winston Churchill pub, where the firm’s trainees meet.
What time do you usually leave the office?
Between 3pm and 3am, if I ever leave my office.
What do you do at weekends?
I hunt for art and many other valuables.
What’s your favourite restaurant?
Sormani in Paris.
If you weren’t a lawyer what would you have been?
An art or antiques dealer.
What’s your favourite film?
Sophie’s Choice.
What was the first record you ever bought?
Stabat Mater by Pergolesi.
Who’s your hero and why?
My wife, because she can put up with me.
What’s the best thing about your job?
Being surrounded by better people.
What’s the toughest thing about your job?
Running after time.
What’s your biggest work/career mistake and what did you learn from it?
Trusting that people can change. They never do, and I will not change my belief.
What car do you drive?
The most improbable one according to my personal taste.
What book are you currently reading?
Il Gattopardo (The Leopard) by Giuseppe di Lampedusa.
What’s your favourite children’s book?
Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales.
What’s the most exciting deal/case you’ve worked on?
The restructuring of a major tunnel operator. It was fun to effectively force a flock of vultures into a chicken coop.
If you were stranded on a desert island what two luxury items would you take?
A bottle of perfume from Annick Goutal and a fountain pen with ink and paper.
What’s the worst partner conference location you’ve attended and why?
None, as I’m a well-advised international traveller.
What’s the longest you’ve worked without sleep?
Seventy hours.
If a movie was being made about your life, which actor would play you?
Liam Neeson.
Who would you least like to be stuck in a lift with?
Myself.
CV
Name: Antoine Tchekhoff
Firm: Foucaud Tchekhoff Pochet et Associés (FTPA)
Title: Founding partner
Lives: Paris
Education:
1974: Masters, Business Law, University of Paris
1975: Law, University of Michigan
Work history:
1977: Admitted to the Paris bar
1977-79: Lawyer, Ilouz-Gadet
1979-80: Lawyer, Berchebru de Foucaud (now FTPA)
1980-present: Partner, FTPA
