Leon T. Vance

Leon T. Vance is of counsel at Faulkner Banfield, P.C. in Juneau and focuses on complex litigation. His principal work concerns oil and gas taxes and royalties, natural resources law, and the defense of product liability, personal injury, and professional malpractice claims. He appears before courts and administrative agencies across Alaska. His cases often involve industries that play a major role in the state’s economy, including energy, transportation, fishing, and mining.

Leon earned a B.A. in Geology from Rice University in 1979 and a J.D., with honor, from the University of Wyoming College of Law in 1982. While in law school, he served on the editorial board of the Land and Water Law Review. Before entering private practice in 1983, he clerked for Judge James Barrett of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. His geology background is relevant to technical natural resources disputes.

Leon has litigated issues involving North Slope oil and natural gas, the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, tanker operations, spill response vessels, a Kenai liquefied natural gas plant, and resource-based businesses. He served as Alaska counsel for Polar Tankers, Inc. in a successful U.S. Supreme Court appeal challenging a municipal property tax under the Constitution’s Tonnage Clause. His clients have included pipeline operators, oil companies, maritime businesses, and other commercial organizations.

Leon T. Vance holds an AV peer-review rating from Martindale-Hubbell. He participates in professional and community organizations, including the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation and Commonwealth North, and has served on municipal and nonprofit boards. His litigation experience encompasses technical evidence, governmental decisions, and high-value commercial disputes. He continues to advise clients whose legal problems involve Alaska’s natural resources and business operations.

Law Office Affiliations

• Of Counsel, Faulkner Banfield Law, P.C.
• Member, Alaska Bar Association
• Member, Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation
• Member, Commonwealth North

Licensed State

• Alaska

Education

• University of Wyoming College of Law
  J.D., with honor
• Rice University
  Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Geology

Awards & Badges