Lawyer in the news: Andrew Foley Jones, Mackenzie Jones Solicitors

Who? Andrew Foley Jones, director, Mackenzie Jones Solicitors, north Wales and Cheshire.

Why is he in the news? Worked for more than a decade with Wrexham AFC, the football club owned by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, which recently made a high-profile return to the English Football League.

How has the firm supported the club? ‘I’ve been a fan of Wrexham since being taken by my dad as a six-year-old. After some well-documented turbulent times, it was taken over by the fans via a supporters trust. As is the case with such a structure, it was all hands to the pump, with volunteers pooling skills in whatever way they could to keep the club afloat. Our firm, based in north Wales and Cheshire, supported the club for a number of years before the takeover on an incredibly diverse array of matters: from reviewing players’ contracts, through to negotiating heads of terms and contracts/leases on training grounds, through to being on the legal team for “that” takeover by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.’

Dealing with the media: ‘As a supporter, it was always surreal dealing with any matters linked to the football club you’ve followed all your life, knowing the gossip and the insider news and having to keep your mouth shut when chatting to your mates; and then, of course, when the news broke of the takeover, of being part of such an international good news story. It was incredibly difficult at first to get used to the attention.’

Why become a lawyer? ‘Because I wasn’t good enough to become a professional footballer. And despite putting American studies on my UCCA form, as I liked the idea of being a writer and spending a year in the US, I put law as my second choice and somehow got the grades.’

Career high: ‘When we completed on the takeover to Rob and Ryan, carried out remotely during the pandemic, in my home office, as I sat dressed in my Wrexham training kit – sad but true.’