Gibson Vance Wins War Horse Award in Troy

Gibson Vance, president pro-tempore of the Troy University Board of Trustees, received the Southern Trial Lawyers Association's 2026 War Horse Award at the organization's annual Mardi Gras Conference in New Orleans.

The award recognizes lawyers who excel as courtroom advocates and contribute to trial advocacy education. Vance, a principal at Beasley Allen Law Firm, represents individuals and small businesses in negligence and misconduct cases.

"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."

Vance graduated from Troy University in 1987 and earned his law degree from Faulkner University's Thomas Goode Jones School of Law in 1992 while working as a law clerk and attending night classes.

He joined the Troy University Board of Trustees in 2012 and became president pro-tempore in 2019. Troy named him an Alumni of the Year recipient during its 2018 Homecoming celebration. Vance served as president of the American Association for Justice and the Alabama State Bar from 2022 to 2023.

Vance and his wife Kate established the Kate and Gibson Vance Emergency Student Fund in 2020 to help students facing unexpected financial hardship. In 2017, he created the Gibson Vance Distinguished Lecture Series.

"I went to school on a Pell Grant, student loans and work study," Vance said. "This fund helps students continue their education when unexpected financial burdens happen."

Troy University Chancellor Jack Hawkins Jr. praised Vance's leadership. "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," Hawkins said.

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