Gilead Cooper QC is a barrister, mediator and arbitrator at Wilberforce Chambers. He specialises in international trust and estate litigation, and has a particular interest in Art and Cultural Property Law. He spoke to Private Client Global Elite about his approach to work, martinis and how much he hates dancing…

Why did you become a lawyer?

I felt that I had the right character defects.

Who had the biggest influence on your career?

Mike Hart. He would have been a Supreme Court judge if he hadn’t died tragically young.

What are your proudest professional moment?

I once made quite a good joke at a Chancery Bar Conference.

What was your worst day at work?

The fourth time I was turned down for a tenancy.

Did you have a mentor who supported you in your early career? What was the most valuable thing they taught you?

Again, Mike Hart, although he was more of a drinking-companion than a mentor.

His most memorable piece of advice: “Never Don’t Do It.”

What advice would you give a trainee just starting out?

nil carborundum.

What do you think will be the most significant trend in your practice over the next 12 months?

Spectacular fees from grateful clients.

What is the most unusual or shocking request you’ve ever had from a client?

“That trustee should be castrated!”

I replied that I had often been asked to remove a trustee, but this was the first time I had been asked to remove part of a trustee.

What’s your favourite midnight snack when you’re in late from the office?

The olive in my Martini.

What was your top lockdown box-set?

Pennyworth.

Rick & Morty.

What do you do when you’re not working? Any hobbies?

Painting. Playing the piano. Cooking. Reading. Talking.

What would you do if you weren’t a lawyer?

I should have been born independently wealthy, and then I wouldn’t have had to work.

What is the book you’d recommend to everyone?

1066 And All That.

Where can you see yourself in thirty years?

Dead.

Or very nearly.

You’re allowed to go on a (socially distant!) walk with anyone from history, who do you choose?

Dr Johnson. Before he was famous, he used to walk around London all night with Richard Savage because they couldn’t afford anywhere to sleep. But the conversation must have been amazing.

What song will never fail to get you on the dance floor?

Wild horses can’t get me onto a dance floor. I hate dancing as much as every other kind of exercise.