History

B. Lamar Tillman began practicing law in Valdosta, Georgia in 1937. Mr. Tillman established the foundation of the firm’s commercial transactional and litigation practices through his representation of Citizens & Southern National Bank (now Bank of America, N.A.), Georgia Power Company, the City of Valdosta, and Liberty Mutual Insurance Company. Other than during his service in the U.S. Navy during World War II, Mr. Tillman practiced law until 1989. In 1960, his nephew, Henry Turner Brice, Jr., joined him in the practice of law. Previously, Mr. Brice served as executive secretary to the late Senator Richard Russell.

During the 1960’s and 1970’s, the firm grew with the additions of John T. McTier, Wade H. Coleman, George T. Talley, and C. George Newbern. Coleman Talley has continued to grow and expand its areas of practice and now represents clients throughout the southeastern United States. Certain attorneys are licensed to practice law in Georgia, Florida, Alabama, South Carolina, North Dakota, and Minnesota. The firm opened its Atlanta office in 2005 and in 2007 changed its name from Coleman, Talley, Newbern, Kurrie, Preston & Holland, LLP to Coleman Talley LLP. In June 2019, the firm opened its first Florida location with an office in Downtown Jacksonville.

A lot has changed over 85 years since B. Lamar Tillman established the foundation of Coleman Talley’s commercial transactional and litigation practices through his representation of Citizens & Southern National Bank (now Bank of America,N.A.), Georgia Power Company, the City of Valdosta, and Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, in 1937.

The firm continued to grow and evolve with the additions of Lamar’s nephew, Henry Turner Brice, Jr. in 1960, and partners, John T.McTier, Wade H.Coleman, George T. Talley, and C.George Newbern in the 1960’s and 1970’s.

Since then, our firm has continued to expand its footprint and areas of practice. The Atlanta office was opened in 2005; in 2007 we changed our name to Coleman Talley LLP. We renovated and relocated to a 22,000 square foot historic office space in 2018 and expanded our footprint to Jacksonville, Florida in 2019.

Today, our highly skilled attorneys represent a broad range of clients across the Southeastern U.S., and beyond.

While much has changed, the values that got us here–honesty, integrity, service and our strong commitment to continual innovation – have remained a constant. As we celebrate our past and look to the future, we want to express our deepest appreciation for our clients, team members, families, friends, and associates.

Without you, we never could have made it this far. Thank you!