Ben Purkiss became a professional footballer, then a lawyer (almost), then a footballer again. He tells Alex Aldridge about the thrill of playing top opposition, the tedium of the LPC and why he's put his training contract on hold

Brabners Chaffe Street trainee-to-be Ben Purkiss has just finished training. It was a light session, following the 1-0 defeat the day before, away to West Ham United in the third round of the League Cup.

Purkiss, who played the full 90 minutes, is disappointed, but delighted his team, League Two outfit Oxford United, held its own against such quality opposition – a last-gasp goal by England international midfielder Scott Parker the only difference between the teams. The result is confirmation that his dream of making it as a top-level professional footballer is still on.

"It was a great experience to play in front of 20,000 people against international players," says Purkiss.

The other profession

So where does the law fit into all of this? Ten years ago Purkiss was an apprentice at Sheffield United, having left school at 16. But with the club's then manager Neil Warnock preferring to rely on his more experienced players, Purkiss' career failed to take off. Academically gifted – Purkiss gained As in the A-Levels he took in history and French while playing full-time for the club's youth and reserve teams – he decided to swap Sheffield United for Sheffield University.

There, Purkiss studied law and French while playing semi-professionally for Conference Northside Gainsborough Trinity. Having decided on a career in corporate law, he put in applications for training contracts and went on to secure a place with Northwest corporate outfit Brabners.

Then, just as he was about to embark on his finals, York City (from the Football Conference  – a league above Gainsborough and pushing for promotion to the Football League) got in touch.

"It was the 4 March, the day before transfer deadline day, and they needed a right back. I had my finals but it was a great opportunity that may not have come around again. So I went for it, relying on my friends to take notes for me in lectures," Purkiss recalls.

Having helped York reach the play-off semi-finals – and successfully completing his degree – Purkiss was offered a year's full-time contract with the club. It meant deferring the Legal Practice Course (LPC) he was due to start, but Brabners gave him the all clear to do so and Purkiss played 35 games as a professional footballer that season. Then York offered him another year-long contract. Reluctant to defer his studies again, but keen to stay with the football club, he played for another year full-time while rushing to the College of Law's York branch after training to study for the LPC.

"The LPC was pretty dull, so having the football as well actually proved quite beneficial," says Purkiss. Two further year-long contracts with York ensued, with Brabners allowing Purkiss to put his year-long training contract on hold, before Oxford United spotted his talents and offered him a shot at league football. "Brabners have been great about it," says Pukiss, "recognising that I won't be able to play football forever and what a rare opportunity this is. Even though I've deferred a number of times now they have been fully supportive."

In the meantime, there is no danger of Purkiss, now 26, losing touch with the law. Not only has his legal knowledge come in handy during contract negotiations with York and Oxford – "Paying attention to the small print helps when you're dealing with agents," he says – but it has seen him pursue a couple of personal claims; one against a mechanic whose incompetent work damaged his car, another against a landlord who refused to return his deposit for spurious reasons.

"I've always found the law very interesting, and conducting cases for myself has helped me keep my eye in," he says.

Planning for the future

When Purkiss eventually becomes a lawyer – and he insists it's a matter of time – he says he'd like to use what he has learned in the game to specialise in sports law – with Brabners, led by Manchester United director Maurice Watkins, one of the leading firms in this area.

"My football career obviously won't last forever," he says. "I suppose the other option would be to be an agent, but that doesn't appeal as from what I've seen they spend most of their time on the phone arguing about money."

For now, though, in true footballer style, Purkiss is "just taking each season as it comes".

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staurt-ripleyStuart Ripley – From Blackburn Rovers to Brabners

Stuart Ripley began his footballing career with Middlesbrough before joining Blackburn Rovers in 1992 and helping the club to win the Premier League three years later, as well as making two appearances for England. He retired from football in 2002 and qualified as a solicitor earlier this year.

"It wasn't a conscious decision to become a lawyer," explains Ripley, now a newly qualified solicitor at Brabners Chaffe Street. "I went back to university after retiring from football in order to do a modern languages degree, but due to family commitments I was unable to spend enough time abroad and switched to study law. After completing my degree I went on to law school and after that I was fortunate enough to land a training contract with Brabners, a law firm with a fantastic sport department where my background in football was an asset."

Ripley adds that he particularly enjoys "the grey areas of law where debate and case law emerges", while in the future he hopes to merge his experience as a professional sportsman and knowledge as a lawyer in order to offer his firm's clients a valuable perspective and service.