Roger Leese is this week's Dealmaker, having just represented Citigroup on the bank's successful defence against Terra Firma's £1.5bn lawsuit in London's High Court.

The British private equity group's owner – City financier Guy Hands – dramatically withdrew the longrunning lawsuit on Friday (10 June), after initially claiming that Citi misled him into overpaying for music label EMI in 2007.

Why did you become a lawyer?
I wanted to be either a lawyer or a forester. There were more places available at university for lawyers.

What's the closest you have come to doing something other than law?
I helped found the charity Advocates for International Development in 2006, and am currently chair of the board of trustees. However, it is a charity dedicated to the role of law in development, so not very close!

Who do you most admire and why?
This is the most difficult question! But for sheer longevity of influence on my daily wellbeing, Sir Alex Ferguson. He was never afraid to take a chance on youth and talent.

What's been your best professional moment?
A client insisting that I catch a private jet from the Channel Islands, followed by Concorde, in order to make a last-minute meeting in the US.

…and worst day on the job?
I once had a 24-hour, non-stop teleconference with US co-counsel to review a defence to a substantial fraud claim. The US counsel team was not prepared to accept that our rules could be any different to theirs and sought to change every line. I was about five years' PQE at the time and in the room with a partner and barrister, but at about 4am in the morning I realised that they had both fallen asleep and left me to battle on alone.

What advice would you give to young litigators starting out?
Learn from others, but also speak out.

What's the best/worst thing about being a litigator?
The obvious: sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose. I hate losing.

What's the funniest thing you've ever witnessed in court?
When the leading counsel (and now a member of the Court of Appeal) glared at us all as a mobile phone started going off before realising it was his…

How do litigators differ from deal lawyers?
I really don't subscribe to the view that we are that different. We have several excellent team members who started life as deal lawyers.

How much do you conform to the spiky litigator stereotype?
I suspect it depends who you ask!

What most annoys you about the legal profession?
Pomposity. And being expected to wear a tie to meetings.

What's your strongest characteristic…and worst trait?
Strongest trait: a thick skin; worst trait: I hate early mornings.

What's the worst corporate event you've ever attended?
Being invited by a (Cayman Islands) client to a pool party. Swimwear obligatory.

What's your most memorable experience as a lawyer?
Meeting my now wife for the first time when we found ourselves paired to teach an ethics course at Dar El Salaam University as part of a pro bono course organised by the International Senior Lawyers Project.

Do you see yourself having a career outside law?
It would probably be something to do with conservation. Happily, I am currently managing to combine conservation with law by leading a team of Clifford Chance lawyers providing legal support to the Lynx UK Trust, which aims to reintroduce the lynx to the UK after an absence of some 1,200 years.

What's your favourite TV depiction of a litigation lawyer?
Lionel Hutz (The Simpsons).

What's your favourite item of clothing?
A battered old sunhat I bought 20 years ago and wear when trekking.