James O’Sullivan

In January 2022, FC Dallas appointed James O’Sullivan as its first ever in-house general counsel. O’Sullivan was previously the assistant general counsel and director of land administration for Dallas-based Unity Hunt, Inc., the family office of the family of the late Lamar Hunt, who had taken over ownership of FC Dallas, then the Dallas Burn, from Major League Soccer in 2003.

O'Sullivan oversees the myriad legal matters that make up management of a Major League Soccer team (FC Dallas), an MLS Next Pro professional soccer team (North Texas SC), the Toyota Stadium soccer complex, and other related facilities.

Before FC Dallas, O’Sullivan was an oil and gas attorney. He worked for land brokers, represented mineral owners and oilfield service companies, and provided in-house management of a diverse portfolio of non-op assets (many of them legacy assets) located across the country. He has extensive experience in title work, acquisition due diligence, oilfield litigation, contracts, agreements and lease negotiations. O’Sullivan received his law degree from Texas Wesleyan University in 2007.

And before he entered the legal profession, O’Sullivan trained as a classical musician and holds two degrees in music from SMU and the Royal Northern College of Music. He has maintained his love of music through the years singing with choirs such as the Dallas Symphony Chorus, Resounding Harmony, church choirs in the Dallas area and tinkering on the piano and violin at home.