Vincent Dunn holds the prestigious position of co-partner-in-charge of Norton Rose Fulbright's New York office, but these days he's just as happy to be known as a super proud soccer dad.

Dunn's daughter Crystal is a member of the U.S. Women's National Team—the team that this month won the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup.

“I did spend time thinking of some of the many days traveling to soccer games when she was young, when her jersey was too big for her and when I had to help her tie her cleats,” Dunn said. “From those days to a World Cup championship—a great deal of hard work and sacrifices have paid off.”

Crystal, 27, helped lead the U.S. to an undefeated record in the World Cup tournament, capped by a 2-0 win over the Netherlands in the final July 7.

And Dunn, of course, was there. He and his wife Rhonda traveled to France for 22 days to watch their daughter play on soccer's biggest stage.

The whirlwind trip featured dozens of pre-game and post-game parties, an emotional trip to the D-Day beaches in Normandy, golf, and a gauntlet of raucous games.

“The sounds were crazy. The fans were nuts,” Dunn a corporate lending partner, said. “People who I don't know would come up and take pictures with me, and I would always say 'I just want you to know I'm not Crystal.'”

Dunn says he was never athletic, but Crystal got introduced to soccer at an early age when their family moved to the New York suburb of Rockville Centre. Dunn, who grew up in Queens, chose the suburb for its good schools and its tolerable commute into the city. He had no idea that the area's high school, South Side, had a long tradition of excellence in soccer.

Throughout his career, Dunn had to find a balance between supporting his athletically gifted children and building a high-profile corporate practice.

Vincent Dunn Vincent Dunn

He spent long hours in the office as an associate at Chadbourne & Parke, which merged with Norton Rose two years ago. Often he would only see his kids off to the bus before school, as they would already be asleep when he got home.

But on weekends, he would spend as much time as possible with them, attending soccer games, baseball games, and even pitching to his son Henry during batting practice. Henry ended up playing two years of minor league baseball.

Crystal, meanwhile, excelled at soccer in high school. She started all four years and led her team to three state championships.

“It also helps to have a wife,” Dunn said, laughing. “I had a limited life. No fancy cocktail dinners on the weekend. And I had to put my golf game on hold for 10 years.”

The advent of the internet made it easier to balance work and family and allowed him to steal away to watch Crystal and Henry excel in their respective sports. When the family traveled to Japan for the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, he found time between Crystal's games to read documents and answer emails on his laptop.

It also helped, Dunn said, that he has had the full support of his firm. His Norton Rose colleagues broadcast the games at the office and inundated him with hundreds of emails, texts and calls. Many of Dunn's colleagues have known Crystal her whole life.

“Norton Rose and everybody else went on the journey with me,” he said.

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