About Al
Al Vance trained in Alabama. He earned a B.S. from Auburn University in 1994 and a J.D. from the University of Alabama School of Law in 2000. Those years set the stage for a career that moved from private practice into in-house counsel roles and, more recently, into dispute resolution practice.
Fresh from law school, Vance joined Starnes Davis Florie LLP as a lawyer and partner in 2000. He spent the early portion of his career in that firm environment, handling litigation and corporate matters for clients across various industries. In 2011 he made a shift to in-house practice when he became Associate General Counsel at Altec, Inc. At Altec he took on responsibilities that extended beyond traditional legal work. He served on the company’s Operations & Management and Product Review committees, bringing legal perspective to operational decisions.
By 2016 he had moved into the role of General Counsel at Altec Industries, Inc. His responsibilities included overseeing corporate legal affairs and continuing participation on the same internal committees. Those years in-house gave him sustained exposure to product risk, corporate governance, and cross-functional problem solving. They also involved managing outside counsel and advising senior leaders on compliance and business strategy.
In 2022 Vance left the corporate world to found Vance Dispute Resolution. The new practice reflects a shift toward neutral dispute resolution. He sits on panels for the American Arbitration Association, where he is listed on both arbitration and mediation rosters. He is also a member of the CPR Panel of Distinguished Neutrals and the Alabama Academy of Lawyer Mediators. His bar memberships include the Alabama and Georgia state bars, and he maintains active ties to local legal organizations such as the Birmingham Bar Association and the Magic City Bar Association.
Colleagues describe Vance as pragmatic and steady in handling contested matters. He blends courtroom experience from his early years with the institutional insight gained as in-house counsel. That mix has become the foundation of his work as a mediator and arbitrator, where procedural knowledge and practical judgment matter.
He operates out of Vance Dispute Resolution and accepts appointments and engagements across Alabama and Georgia. He concentrates his current practice on arbitration, mediation, and neutral dispute resolution services.
