Best brains in...

Real estate funds and structuring - it needs both strong technical skills and commercial thinking to come up with the right approach and see it through to completion.

Highlight of your career so far?

I'd say selling nine hospitals for a large UK private medical company. Hospitals are phenomenally complicated businesses, which makes selling them far from easy. We had a private equity firm on the other side and the team did a great job in preparing, negotiating and executing a good deal for our client.

Most challenging job you've ever done?

When I was an associate I was part of a team advising TUI on its acquisition of Thomas Cook. I returned from a holiday to spend the next two weeks camped out in Allen & Overy's offices leading negotiations on this £1 billion acquisition, while the partner I was working with was working on the complex shareholders' agreement. I didn't get a lot of sleep during those two weeks!

What about outside the UK?

Most of my real estate work involves investment in real estate overseas, usually in Europe but, increasingly, clients are looking beyond to Russia and India, among other places. My team handles the English law advice and project manages firms in multiple jurisdictions, often leading the negotiations on the principal documents, even where they relate to overseas entities and structures.

How do you get under the skin of a client's business?

Spending time as part of its team. When I first became a partner I spent six months seconded to a healthcare client. I joined its legal team, working with them on a daily basis and finding out about the organisational dynamics. The experience made me and my team more effective advisers on subsequent transactions. I also learnt never to tell a client that I fully understand its business – unless you've worked in it, you don't!

Best example of a creative legal solution?

On one life sciences transaction, we agreed a deferred equity investment depending on certain conditions instead of a straightforward upfront fee. We had to work out how to determine a price, what would trigger the investment and various other factors. It was difficult but 12 months later, when we came to test the agreement, it stood up and the client has its investment.

What's your single greatest contribution to Wragge & Co's corporate responsibility?

I mentor students at the College of Law supervising their pro bono work. I am also helping the Association of Pharmaceutical Contract Manufacturers with its rules and general governance issues.

What's been written or said about you that you're most proud of?

At the end of my secondment, I got a leaving card from the team which everyone had signed and had lots of nice comments about my wisdom – not sure they weren't talking about someone else – and sense of humour. It was great getting those comments from people with whom I'd worked so closely.