James Nicholas Brennan 4th, a partner and leader of the banking and capital markets practice group at Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP in Charlotte, died Friday following a six-month battle with cancer. He was 50.
"It's a tremendous loss," said Don Ubell, a partner at Parker Poe. Mr. Brennan "was certainly one of the best, if not the best" Section 103 lawyers in North Carolina, he said, referring to the section of the federal tax code that covers tax-exempt bonds.
"He was instrumental, really, in moving us forward as a public finance firm with his tax expertise," Ubell said.
Nicknamed "the professor," Mr. Brennan served as bond counsel and underwriter's counsel in general governmental deals as well as water and sewer, municipal enterprise, health care, industrial development, and multifamily housing financings.
A frequent speaker and panelist on public finance issues, he also was a member of the general tax matters committee of the National Association of Bond Lawyers.
Prior to joining Parker Poe in 1994, Mr. Brennan worked at McGuireWoods LLP in Richmond, Va., and before that at Chapman and Cutler LLP in Chicago, Ubell said.
He was named one of the "North Carolina Super Lawyers" in banking and government/cities/municipalities in 2006 and 2008. He was a member of the North Carolina Bar, the Virginia Bar, and the Illinois Bar.
Mr. Brennan was a member of Saint Gabriel Catholic Church and played softball on the church team. He is survived by his wife, Kathleen Kenney Brennan, and their four sons, James, Edward, Jack, and Michael.
"A dedicated and loving father, Jim was passionate about coaching his boys' soccer and basketball teams," and also loved hiking, water and snow skiing, and biking, Parker Poe said in a memorial.
Mr. Brennan graduated from Randolph-Macon College and earned a law degree from DePaul University in 1986.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to St. Gabriel's Athletic Association, Coach Jim Brennan Memorial Fund, c/o St. Gabriel Catholic Church, 3016 Providence Rd., Charlotte, N.C., 28211.
