LSU Law is proud to announce the esteemed group of alumni and colleagues who will be honored for their contributions to the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center and legal profession at the 2026 Distinguished Alumni Awards celebration on Thursday, April 9, in the South Stadium Club at Tiger Stadium.
“This year’s Distinguished Alumni honorees are an incredibly impressive group of legal professionals who reflect the core values of professional excellence, civic engagement, and public service that we strive to instill in all our students at LSU Law,” said Interim Dean Caprice Roberts. “We are excited to come together at Tiger Stadium on April 9 to celebrate our honorees’ remarkable accomplishments with their family members, friends, and colleagues.”
Selected by the LSU Law Alumni Board of Trustees via a nomination, review, and ranking process, the 2026 Distinguished Alumni Awards honorees are:
- Ben Aguiñaga (’15) — Outstanding Young Alumnus
- Bill Corbett — Honorary Alumnus
- Vance Gibbs (’82) — Engaged Alumnus
- Richard Ieyoub (’72) — Outstanding Public Service
- Kean Miller — Career Champion
- Michael Pinkerton (’97) — Legal Innovator
- Jay Zainey (’75) — Service to the Profession
Launched in 1986, the LSU Law Distinguished Alumni Awards program was expanded in 2012 to include more than one honoree each year. In 2025, the awards program was further defined with new award categories and criteria as well as a selection process led by the LSU Law Alumni Board of Trustees.
Individual tickets and tables are now available for the 2026 LSU Law Distinguished Alumni Awards ceremony, which will take place from 5:30 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, April 9, in Tiger Stadium.
Get tickets to the 2026 LSU Law Distinguished Alumni Awards ceremony.
About the 2026 Distinguished Alumni Awards honorees
Ben Aguiñaga
Louisiana Solicitor General
Outstanding Young Alumnus
Ben Aguiñaga was appointed as Louisiana Solicitor General in January 2024 by Attorney General Liz Murrill (’91) to represent Louisiana in federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court. Following his graduation from LSU Law in 2015, he clerked for the Hon. Don Willett of the Texas Supreme Court and the Hon. Edith H. Jones of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. He later secured a clerkship with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito for the 2018-19 term, becoming just the second LSU Law graduate to clerk for a Justice of the nation’s highest court. Prior to being appointed Solicitor General, he spent four years as an Issues and Appeals associate with Jones Day in Washington, D.C.
The Outstanding Young Alumnus award recognizes an alumnus who has been in practice for 10 or fewer years and is a demonstrated leader in their field.
Bill Corbett
Professor of Law, LSU Law
Honorary Alumnus
Bill Corbett joined the LSU Law faculty in 1991, having previously practiced labor and employment law with Burr & Forman in Birmingham, Alabama. He teaches primarily in the areas of labor and employment law and has served in a variety of administrative roles during his tenure at LSU Law, including Vice Chancellor, Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs, Interim Co-Dean, and Interim Dean. He also led the Louisiana Judicial College from 1998 to 2000 as Executive Director and currently serves as Executive Director of the Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel (LADC). He earned his undergraduate degree at Auburn University and his law degree from the University of Alabama School of Law.
The Honorary Alumnus award recognizes a non-alumnus who has made a significant investment of time, financial support, or professional capital to LSU Law and the legal profession.
Vance Gibbs
Partner, Kean Miller
Engaged Alumnus
Vance Gibbs is a partner at Kean Miller’s downtown Baton Rouge office who has practiced commercial litigation and malpractice defense for more than four decades. He has served as an adjunct faculty member for the annual Vinson & Elkins Trial Advocacy Program at LSU Law for more than 20 years and plays an instrumental role as a member of the LSU Law Trial Advocacy Program Planning Committee. Gibbs also regularly serves as a guest lecturer in multiple advocacy and practice-oriented courses at LSU Law. He earned his undergraduate degree at LSU in 1979 before attending LSU Law, where he was a member of Louisiana Law Review and graduated in 1982.
The Engaged Alumnus award recognizes an alumnus who has been of extraordinary service to LSU Law through a combined investment of time, expertise, financial support, and leadership.
Richard Ieyoub
Outstanding Public Service
Richard Ieyoub was an LSU Law Class of 1972 alumnus who served Louisiana across three decades as the District Attorney of Calcasieu Parish and Louisiana Attorney General. He served as Calcasieu Parish D.A. from 1984 until 1992, when he began serving as Louisiana Attorney General, a position he would hold through 2004. As Attorney General, he initiated and advanced major civil and consumer-protection litigation, most notably joining other state attorney generals in the tobacco litigation that provided $4.6 billion for Louisiana. He was appointed Louisiana Commissioner of Conservation by Gov. John Bel Edwards (’99) in 2016, and he served in the role until his death in 2023 at the age of 78.
The Outstanding Public Service award recognizes a graduate for exceptional service in any branch of the U.S. military, as an elected or appointed public official, or in other public service roles.
Kean Miller
Career Champion
Kean Miller is a Baton Rouge-headquartered law firm that has more than 235 attorneys across Louisiana and Texas—of which approximately 115 are proud LSU Law alumni. Founded more than 40 years ago, Kean Miller is devoted to hiring, developing, and advancing LSU Law graduates. The firm’s annual Summer Associate Program is sourced largely through its on-campus interviews at LSU Law. Kean Miller also supports LSU Law with two scholarships, and its attorneys regularly serve as guest lecturers in LSU Law classrooms as well as coaches and judges for LSU Law mock trials. The Kean Miller Connection program helps prepare college students in Baton Rouge for law school and introduces them to the legal profession.
The Career Champion award recognizes a law firm or organization that has provided significant and consistent contributions toward the advancement of career services, professionalism, and employment outcomes through their support of student programming.
Michael Pinkerton
Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel, ModSquad
Legal Innovator
Michael Pinkerton is the co-founder of ModSquad, a global leader in digital engagement and remote customer support that was launched in 2007. Under his leadership as Chief Operations Office and General Counsel, ModSquad has evolved from a small startup to a multinational company with operations in the United States, Northern Ireland, Latin America, and beyond. After graduating from LSU Law in 1997, Pinkerton had a very successful 10-year career as a practicing attorney in New Orleans, where he and his wife, Meredith (’97) still reside today.
The Legal Innovator award recognizes a graduate who has established a successful non-traditional career.
Hon. Jay Zainey
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana
Service to the Profession
Hon. Jay Zainey was appointed by President George W. Bush to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana in February 2002. He is a past President of the Louisiana State Bar Association (LSBA) who created the Community Action Committee and the Committee to Provide Legal Services for the Disabled during his leadership. He is a co-founder of SOLACE, an LSBA program that provides services to members of the legal community and their families in the aftermath of tragedies, or who otherwise have special needs. After earning his law degree at LSU Law in 1975, he spent a year as a law clerk before going into private practice in Louisiana from 1976 to 2002.
The Service to the Profession award recognizes a graduate who elevates the profession through extraordinary and consistent leadership.
