Work Life Quiz: Mark Weston, Matthew Arnold & Baldwin

What was your first-ever job?

Research assistant for the Board of Deputies of British Jews, defending kosher food preparation.

What was your worst experience as a trainee?

The consequences of telling one of my principals that I thought her presentation went ‘okay’.

Where’s the best place to find out what’s really going on in the office?

At my desk – opposite the kitchenette and the ladies’ loo.

What’s your favourite restaurant?

Bevis Marks near Liverpool Street.

What’s your favourite film?

The Shawshank Redemption or Back to the Future II.

What was the first record you ever bought?

A Gilbert & Sullivan CD.

Who’s your hero and why?

Melanie Phillips, who has the guts to say what’s unpopular but she’s right about a host of issues.

What’s the toughest thing about your job?

Being responsible for millions of pounds worth of decisions I can’t afford to get wrong.

What’s your biggest work/career mistake?

Not taking my own advice to clients in the first dotcom boom. Had I done so, I would probably have retired several years ago.

What car do you drive?

A Renault Megane – the one with the big backside. A car should reflect its owner.

What’s the most exciting deal/case you’ve worked on?

Contracts for transmedia gaming. It’s cutting-edge and I love the fact that even most of my colleagues don’t understand what I’m talking about.

If you were stranded on a desert island what two luxury items would you take?

My Kindle with 5,000 books on it and a satellite phone.

If a movie was being made about your life, which actor would play you?

Christopher Lloyd. I love the zany quality he would bring to a pretty pedestrian story.

Who would you least like to be stuck in a lift with?

Anyone with anything to do with law.

Tell us two truths and one lie about yourself (in any order)

I love my family more than anything; I love appearing on TV, the lecture circuit and writing books; I’d love my kids to go into the law, given the state of the profession.