Who? Grant Gordon, 49, partner and head of corporate at London firm Fladgate.

Why is he in the news? He acted for former Tottenham Hotspur footballer Gareth Bale on his record £85m transfer deal to Real Madrid on the final day of the transfer window. The team at the firm dealt with the commercial, tax and regulatory aspects of the deal.

Thoughts on the deal: ‘When you’re dealing with a celebrity who has become a global brand, there is more to deal with in relation to image rights than when dealing with more routine matters. Bale has trademarked the heart-shaped sign with the number 11, in that he makes the sign with his hands when he scores a goal. We were involved in the licensing and commercial aspect of these IP rights.

‘This matter had to accommodate a number of competing interests and, of course, was set against a background of intense press speculation. The most important aspect of this case was to secure the secrecy of the deal. All sections of the press and everyone in football wanted to know what was going on. We had a team of four lawyers working on it and, aside from the core team and firm’s chairman, we did not tell anyone else we were acting.’

Dealing with the media: ‘We did not reveal until after the deal had been completed that we were acting. Since then we have had numerous requests for interviews, a number of which we have declined due to confidentiality issues because we are so close to the deal. Before the announcement, we did not receive any speculative calls from the media, which shows that our information lockdown worked.’

Why become a lawyer? ‘I didn’t want to leave university and wanted to stay a student so I did a second degree in law. I saw law as a pathway into business and commerce.’

Career high: ‘I am confident that is still to come.’

Career low: ‘Having to re-do my articles when I moved from South Africa to London.’