Sullivan & Cromwell City corporate partner Ben Perry recently advised on a $4bn deal that saw London-listed property company Kennedy Wilson Europe Real Estate merge with its US parent company.

He made partner at Sullivan in 2008 after training at Clifford Chance, and has also overseen the development of a trainee solicitor programme in the US firm's London office.

Why did you become a lawyer? As a result of reading the Rumpole novels by John Mortimer.

Who has been the biggest influence on your career? My wife, who I met while she and I were both associates at Sullivan.

What's your proudest professional moment? Being elected as partner of Sullivan. You expect a phonecall, but you don't know whether it's good or bad news.

…and worst day on the job? As a junior associate at my previous firm, having to stand at the corner of Trafalgar Square and Whitehall with a homemade sign, directing people to a company's annual general meeting, as the address on the notice was wrong.

What's your strongest characteristic… and worst trait? I'm hardworking and dedicated. I can also, at times, be impatient and demanding of others, but I'm working on it.

What advice would you give to young deal lawyers starting out? Try and understand the different legal and commercial objectives of the other parties, not just your own client – it will help your client achieve its objectives.

What most annoys you about the legal profession? Lawyers who think it's all about them.

Most memorable deal you ever have worked on and why? When I first arrived as an associate at Sullivan, I worked on a deal to finance the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline. It is still the longest-running deal I've ever worked on. It lasted three and a half years. It was also the only deal that I've worked on that a) required three presidents' signatures and b) featured in a James Bond film – The World Is Not Enough.

What is the daftest bit of corporate jargon you've heard (and did you smirk)? I was invited to a meeting at someone else's office. The host didn't book a meeting room so invited us to "brainstorm in the innovation area". It did amuse me, but I was too young and deferential to make it obvious.

Do you see yourself having a career outside law? No, unless Andrew Strauss's job as director of England cricket becomes vacant.

What's your favourite item of clothing? A tie with cricketers on it.

Favourite boxset? US comedy Veep.

Toughest ethical moral dilemma the job has ever presented you with? Watching an England vs Germany football match with my Frankfurt colleagues. Germany won, of course.

What is the strangest request you have ever received from a client? Not a request as such, but I did receive a wedding present from a client nine years after I got married. A box appeared at the office one day with a note apologising for the delay.