Saying that Cheyne is arrogant is perhaps unfair, but he certainly has a swagger about him. An ill thought-out question is met with a slight look of disdain and a raised eyebrow. But in contrast to the swarms of lawyers who act as if they have the name of their firms tattooed on their collective backsides, Cheyne is refreshing. You do not expect to hear such a senior lawyer seriously debating with the press the merits of moving firms, for example. I suspect that in the UK environment there are a number of companies where the senior lawyer is more akin to a US general counsel.
Many more companies have an idea of the value of a legal department.
With my seniority I am likely to be interested in that sort of role, doing a slightly broader role than just doing deals. While he says he has been tempted by a move to other firms, Cheyne says that he likes Linklaters and, as he points out, he is still there. In fact, he has spent his entire career at the firm, including a five-year stint at its Hong Kong office. Cheyne returned to London because he was concerned about being out of the market for too long. I was worried about adjusting to being back in London although it took me about two weeks to adjust professionally.