Gibson Vance, President Pro-Tempore of the Troy University Board of Trustees and a 1987 TROY graduate, was recently honored as the recipient of the Southern Trial Lawyers Association’s 2026 War Horse Award.

The award was presented during the Association’s annual Mardi Gras Conference in New Orleans.

The War Horse Award is presented annually to a lawyer or lawyers who are “true characters of their time” that are not only recognized as top courtroom advocates and leaders in the trial bar but have also contributed significantly to the teaching of trial advocacy through educational programs.

Vance is a Principal in the Beasley Allen Law Firm and has spent his career advocating for individuals and small businesses harmed by negligence or misconduct. Following his graduation from TROY in 1987, he earned his law degree from Faulkner University’s Thomas Goode Jones School of Law in 1992, attending night classes while working as a law clerk during the day.

“It is very special to be recognized by your peers and so many people that I respect and have looked up to through the years,” Vance said. “I’ve spent a great deal of my career protecting the seventh amendment, the right to trial by jury. There are entities that want to do away with that right, and so as much as this award is for educating the next generation of lawyers, it is also about protecting that right of individuals who have been wronged to achieve redress in the court of law.”

Dr. Jack Hawkins, Jr., Chancellor, said Vance has always demonstrated strong leadership both in his professional career and through his service to his alma mater.

“I congratulate Gibson on this well-deserved recognition,” Dr. Hawkins said. “As an alumnus, he is a great representative of TROY, and I am grateful for the leadership he has brought to our Board of Trustees and his continued commitment to our students and the future of this great institution.”

Vance has been a member of the Troy University Board of Trustees since 2012 and has served as President Pro-Tempore of the Board since 2019. In 2018, Vance was honored as an Alumni of the Year recipient during the University’s Homecoming celebration.

Vance said that TROY provided him with the second chance he needed as a student to earn his degree and lay the foundation for his career.

“I had really not had much success in college, but then I transferred to TROY and found myself surrounded by other students who were motivated and wanted to succeed,” he said. “TROY gave me that second chance, and if I had not had that opportunity, I don’t think I would have enjoyed the career and the successes I have had.”

It is the gratefulness for that opportunity that has led Vance to want to give back and provide those same opportunities for others. In 2017, Vance established the Gibson Vance Distinguished Lecture Series and in 2020, he and his wife, Kate, established the Kate and Gibson Vance Emergency Student Fund.

“I’ve been blessed, and when you have been blessed like I have, you should give back,” he said. “One of the things that I’m most proud of is the scholarship that my wife and I established. I went to school on a Pell Grant, student loans and a work study, leading campus tours. I know that if I had a transmission go out on my car or some other issue arise, I wouldn’t have been able to make it. This fund helps students be able to continue their education even when the unexpected financial burdens happen.”

Vance is a Past President of the American Association for Justice (AAJ) and also chaired AAJ’s PAC and served on its Executive Committee. Regionally, he led the Alabama Association for Justice and the Southern Trial Lawyers Association, fostering collaboration across 13 states. He also served as President of the Alabama State Bar (2022–2023), and his professional excellence earned him a place among the Fellows of the Alabama Law Foundation and membership in the elite American Board of Trial Advocates.

Vance and his wife, Kate, have two children, Carter and Andrew.