NCBA Mourns Death of Past President Jim Talley
James Maynard (Jim) Talley Jr. of Charlotte, who served as president of the North Carolina Bar Association and Foundation in 1994-95, died on October 16 at the age of 87.
Talley was born in Durham and graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1959 with a B.S. in Industrial Relations. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1959-61 (active duty) and continued in service to his country from 1961-84 in the U.S. Naval Reserve, retiring with the rank of captain.
Talley graduated with honors in 1964 from UNC School of Law, where he was an Order of the Coif honoree and served on the board of editors of the North Carolina Law Review. He moved to Charlotte that same year and joined the law firm eventually known as Horack, Talley, Pharr & Lowndes. Talley remained with the firm, where he became a stockholder and partner, for more than 50 years, devoting his practice to commercial real estate, finance and corporate law. The firm affiliated with Offit Kurman in 2019, and Talley served of counsel before retiring.
Talley’s record of volunteer leadership within the legal profession was extensive, and he left an indelible mark on every organization he touched. He served as chair of the NCBA Young Lawyers Division in 1972-73, as a member of the NCBA Board of Governors in 1983-86, and chaired the Bar Center Steering Committee that recommended an 8.5-acre tract of land on Lake Crabtree where the present-day N.C. Bar Center was constructed in 1994.
Talley was a devoted champion of providing legal services to the poor and disenfranchised, serving on the boards of Legal Services of North Carolina (president, 1978-82), Legal Aid of North Carolina, Legal Services of Southern Piedmont (president, 1977-80), the North Carolina Equal Access to Justice Commission, NC IOLTA (chair, 2005-06), and North Carolina Prisoner Legal Services. He also served in numerous roles with the Mecklenburg County Bar and the UNC Law Alumni Association.
As a true servant leader, Talley helped establish the SouthPark Association of Neighborhoods and served on the boards of Supportive Housing Communities and Children and Family Services Center (now Ascend Nonprofit Solutions). He was also an active member of Myers Park United Methodist Church and its contemporary choir.
Talley is survived by his wife, Claire; five children between them – Randy Talley of Weaverville, Beth Pell and her husband, Nick, of Huntersville, Mark Talley of Charlotte, Elizabeth Moore of Charlotte and Stacey Moore III and his wife, Carolyn, of Charlotte; and 11 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Jim is also survived by his younger sister, Elizabeth Shelley, of Greensboro.
A service to celebrate Jim Talley’s life will be held at 2 p.m. on Thursday, October 24, at Myers Park United Methodist Church, 1501 Queens Road, Charlotte. The family will receive friends following the service in the Assembly Hall reception area at the church.