The best business lawyers are creative artists, not legal pedants, so say chief executives and bankers. Bob Joffe, the debonair senior partner of premier Wall Street law firm Cravath, Swaine & Moore, fits the bill. When asked if he was related to Charles Joffe, Woody Allen's favourite producer, quick-witted Joffe quipped: 'Afraid not, but it sure helps me get the best New York restaurant reservations.'

Joffe's musical connections, however, seem to have had a more direct influence on his firm's success in international corporate finance. His brother is a former singer with Sha Na Na, the hit 1960s and 1970s pop group which is still going strong. This sibling connection never fails to impress New York's business elite, many of whom left their long hair and flares at Woodstock and now hold as much influence over US business as they once did over America's counter-culture. Sha Na Na was right, Rock & Roll Is Here To Stay and alive and kicking through Cravath's creative deals advice.