Any in-house lawyer worth their 25%-less-than-theywould-get-in-private-practice salary will tell you that ‘living the brand’ 24/7 is key to a company’s success.

The in-house counsel of one major drinks company recently showed The Diary the true meaning of such commitment at a covert rendezvous in the bar of a swanky London hotel. So swanky was the venue, in fact, that the unashamedly mainstream fare produced by his company was not on offer.