Ben Abney

 TU really made the difference in my life,” said Abney, who has been selected as a 2018 Distinguished Alumnus by The University of Tulsa Alumni Association.
Today, Abney is a cofounder and managing partner at Titan Properties in Tulsa. After graduation from TU Law and serving in the National Guard, he cofounded and was a managing partner of Riggs, Abney, Neal, Turpen, Orbison & Lewis law firm based in Tulsa where he currently serves as “Of Counsel.” Previously, Abney was an executive vice president of Case and Associates Properties, Inc.

His path to TU came through his love of playing tennis. While attending McLain High School, Abney taught himself how to play tennis. He fondly remembers purchasing his first tennis racket with Green Stamps and taking the bus to TU where he would practice hitting balls on a backboard at the courts. He quickly became friends with members of the university’s tennis team who took him on as a “project” teaching him how to become a much better player. Within one year, Abney began winning matches against people he had lost to the previous year. “The one thing I knew is that I could work harder than anyone to make things happen, so I kept on improving which paved the way for me to attend TU through a tennis scholarship,” Abney said.

Abney’s mother had placed him in elementary school at an early age so by the time he was 16, he graduated from high school and began his first year at TU. “The college was small, and all of the students knew each other. It was a great environment. I remember that I could talk at length to any of my professors,” said Abney. While attending college in the summer, he also worked 70 hours a week as an accountant and delivery man for a local ice company. “Hauling 300 pound blocks of ice on the weekends helped me to build strength and my bank account,” Abney said. “I was able to buy a ’54 Dodge and support myself through school.”

In his last few years of college, Abney worked as a tennis pro at Southern Hills Country Club and then at Tulsa Tennis Club. “I didn’t get a chance to socialize a lot at school because I was always studying or working, but I did meet my lovely wife Pat and motivated her to move from OU to TU.”

At TU, Abney participated in an accelerated degree program that allowed him to receive a business and law degree in six years. By the time he was 22 years old, Abney had completed law school and passed the bar. He said, “It was at TU Law that I started blossoming as a person. Going to TU was one of the best things that ever happened to me.”

After law school, Abney served in the National Guard and as a public defender in Tulsa. Soon after, in 1972, Abney, along with three of his TU Law classmates, formed a four-man law firm and, today, the firm known as Riggs Abney employs more than 80 attorneys in Tulsa, Oklahoma City and Denver.

During the formative years of the law firm, Abney made friends with each of his clients by inviting them to his home for a dinner prepared by Pat. He enjoyed building relationships and credits those friendships and his wife’s cooking and social graces to helping him build his firm. “For me, the practice of law was satisfying because I could help people and make a difference,” said Abney. “I really cared about clients’ lives, and it was my job to help them solve their problems.”

After 23 years at the law firm, Abney joined his friend Mike Case (Hon. D.B. ’05) of Case Associates Properties, Inc. as general counsel. “Because of Ben’s honesty, attention to detail and extreme business acumen, I brought him into my company as general counsel and executive vice president where he was invaluable to our aggressive growth throughout several states and more than 16 cities,” said Case.

Abney helped the organization to triple in size. As Case’s counsel, he knew that Mike enjoyed tennis and introduced him to TU tennis Coach Vince Westbrook, a relationship that proved beneficial for the university. Abney worked with Case to raise money for TU’s Case Tennis Center, a 54,000-square-foot pavilion with spectator seating, training facilities, indoor and outdoor courts and electronic scoreboards. “It was a great marriage for both. Now numerous buildings at TU carry the Case name,” Abney said.

“My TU story is one of being in the perfect place at the perfect time. I can’t be more proud of my two degrees from TU,” Abney said. When asked what his advice is for current students, he said, “The more passionate you are, the better results you will have. Work hard and you will make it happen.” Abney’s legacy is one of hard work and loyalty to his clients, friends and partners.

Abney previously served on the Tulsa Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and was the chair of the Tulsa Sports Commission and an active member of the Tulsa Area United Way. His involvement at TU has been significant for the university. He has been a member of the President’s Council, Circle Society, TURC Fellows, Lettermen’s Association Board, TU Alumni Association Board and TU Law Alumni Association Board. He cochaired the TU Law fundraising campaign in 1994, raised funds for the Case Athletic and Tennis Centers, created the Benjamin P. Abney Scholarship in Law Endowment Fund in 2006, has been inducted into the TU College of Law Alumni Hall of Fame and is a 50-year member of the Golden Hurricane Club.

TU Law Dean and Dean John Rogers Professor of Law Lyn Entzeroth said, “Ben’s tremendous legal career and his constant focus on and support for TU make him an excellent choice for The University of Tulsa’s 2018 Distinguished Alumnus Award.”