The delicate balance between career and family is more precarious than ever, thanks to the constant accessibility of our digital lives. For Juan Roque and Joshua Wagner of Viking Law Group, a locally-based firm specializing in personal injury, prioritizing fatherhood despite their demanding careers is something they take very seriously. In a profession known for long hours and high stakes, Roque and Wagner prove that being present for their families is possible.
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Juan Roque
Chief Operating Officer at Viking Law Group
Juan Roque knew it was time to retire from professional football following the birth of his son. He wanted a stable career where he could be present for his family. He gravitated to the law field, where his schedule allowed him to be the “school-drop-off dad” until his son got his license at 18. Despite working long hours, Roque never misses an opportunity for father-son bonding. When his son was younger, that included spending weekends on the competitive bowling circuit and playing Guitar Hero, sometimes until 2 or 3 a.m. Now, with his son in his twenties, it includes family trips, from Rome to Ibiza, to expose him to new cultures.
As Chief Operations Officer of Viking Law, Roque says the best advice he can give for parents with high-stakes careers is to compartmentalize their day. “When I get home from work, I take a few deep, cleansing breaths before I enter the house and remind myself to leave work behind–now it’s family time.” It’s challenging, but Roque’s learned to shift gears to stay present for those he loves.
Roque feels his career path has influenced his son, too. Viking Law, which hires many Arizona State University graduates, like Roque, values the community. Of his son, Roque says, “He was very inquisitive for a long time about what I did for a living. He is proud [that] his dad helps others!”
“My own father was tough. He was a Mexican immigrant who worked construction and also worked on weekends doing side jobs to make extra money for us,” says Roque, "but as a father, he always told us he loved us and was not afraid to show us affection. For him, love wasn’t just about buying us things. It was telling us he loved us. He always said we were his fortune.” Roque thinks if he could be half the dad he was, then he’d be a great father. “I hope I’m living up to that standard with my son.”
Joshua Wagner
Founder, CEO, Attorney at Law at Viking Law Group
While Roque found a different rhythm after his football career, his colleague, Joshua Wagner, faces the pressure of owning a law firm while embracing fatherhood to his eight-year-old daughter. If he let it, Wagner’s career could absorb all of his time, but he’s learned it’s not just about him setting a boundary but letting his daughter set one, too. “I've given her a voice, and I've chosen to become acquainted with that voice,” he says. “And when it has a need and expresses a need, I respect it.”
For example, when she complains he hasn’t had time to play with her because he’s working a lot, Wagner shares, “She’s telling me, ‘Hey, I need you right now.’ And it’s taking that moment to hear that voice…and shutting the phone off and saying, ‘I'm here right now.’”
Wagner acknowledges the responsibility of running a business. "It's tough nowadays with phones. Your work never really goes away.” Still, he practices modeling self-control to his child—drawing the balance between what is urgent and what is not—by offering her consistent quality time.
To intentionally shift from "attorney mode" to "dad mode," Wagner has a quiet room at home where he decompresses for fifteen to thirty minutes before joining his family.
Wagner believes there’s nothing more important than a stable home life. “If you don’t have that, then you have control of nothing,” he says. One way he achieves this is by handling many work-related issues in the timeframes when his family is sleeping or otherwise occupied.
Raising his daughter within the community is important to Wagner, too. He wants her to see that he, his wife, and his law firm care about community development by giving back to charities, volunteering and staying active in local sports and events, including South Mountain Movement and Wellness where Wagner’s daughter takes jiu jitsu.
Wagner’s also committed to running a firm based on integrity. “She's looking at how I'm interacting with people, insurance companies. If I ever want her to take the moral high ground, I must do it myself.”
Wagner says he felt an instant connection to his daughter when she was born and whispered in her ear, “I will never give you a reason.” To him, this meant he’d never hold her back. “There’s nothing she can ever do to shatter my love,” he says. “It’s real and permanent.”