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When Robert Lyerly 鈥�76, an attorney practicing in the Estate, Tax and Business Planning Practice Group of law firm, enrolled at Pfeiffer College, he hoped to pitch for Joe Ferebee, legendary Pfeiffer coach and the winningest baseball coach in North Carolina history. Lyerly, who originally hailed from Salisbury, N.C., had played on successful American Legion teams coached by Ferebee, and he envisioned enjoying similar results at Pfeiffer. Injuries derailed that plan, but his disappointment over not being able to play ball at Pfeiffer didn鈥檛 impede his progress in academics.

鈥淚 got involved in and began to really enjoy the classes and got motivated to do well academically,鈥� he said recently from Maynard Nexsen鈥檚 Charlotte office.

Lyerly鈥檚 focus on his schoolwork paid off. He earned an A.B. degree in accounting at Pfeiffer, taking advantage of the College鈥檚 small classes and the extra attention he got from caring professors who challenged him each day.

He was named valedictorian for the senior class, and his high marks helped him secure acceptance into the at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. A course he took on business law at Pfeiffer had awakened an interest in pursuing a law degree, even as he worked toward an accounting career. His CPA credential 鈥� earned while pursuing his graduate degrees 鈥� was put to good use for many years at PricewaterhouseCoopers, where he made partner, before pivoting to Maynard Nexsen.

When Lyerly looks back at the seeds that Pfeiffer planted in his life, he judges 鈥渁 love of learning鈥� to be among the most important. To this day, he calls himself a 鈥渓ifetime learner.鈥� He says he wouldn鈥檛 have it any other way.

鈥淚f you work in the areas that I do, you pretty much have to be a lifetime learner because my knowledge from even a year ago is not sufficient,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 need to continue to learn and stay up to date because the laws always change, and the tax laws are changing.鈥�

One change to which Lyerly is paying a great deal of attention will happen at the end of 2025 and beginning of 2026. That鈥檚 when existing estate and gift tax exemption amounts are scheduled to to about $7 million per person or $14 million per married couple. Right now, the amounts are roughly $13.6 million for an individual and $27 million for a married couple.

鈥淲e鈥檙e working within all that, trying to give clients the best advice we can to minimize taxes,鈥� he said. 鈥淎 lot of our planning 鈥� including estate planning 鈥� centers around how you use your exemptions in the most effective way.鈥�

Lyerly鈥檚 Pfeiffer-sparked love of learning has extended beyond his workplace into more spiritual realms. He is an active member of First Baptist Church of Charlotte, having, among other things, served as a Deacon and Chairman of the Deacons and led morning Bible studies. He has also chaired the church鈥檚 Finance Committee and served as the Chairman of a Pastor Search Committee, taught Sunday school, moderated meetings, and participated in a medical mission trip to Russia, in the early 1990s.

Several years ago, he felt a call to 鈥減repare and study鈥� academically for deeper involvement in Christian ministry, a process that resulted in him being formally ordained to gospel ministry by Charlotte鈥檚 First Baptist Church.

鈥淎s Christians, each of us is called to be a minister,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e called to serve the Lord in our individual capacities and in all aspects of our lives, particularly in the Baptist church. You have different roles and different things that you do.

鈥淚 thought, 鈥業f I鈥檓 going to be involved in ministry, if I鈥檓 going to teach Sunday school, if I鈥檓 going to serve in different ways, then I want to have this educational background that will equip me to do this well.鈥欌��

In the early 1990s, Lyerly enrolled in the Charlotte branch of . He wouldn鈥檛 earn a Master of Divinity from Gordon-Conwell degree until 2018 and was ordained in 2018.

Lyerly called his divinity studies, which took 90 academic hours to complete, 鈥渙n a par with my law degree, in terms of difficulty.鈥� He spoke of somehow preparing for and participating in classes that were held on Friday evenings and Saturdays even as he went to work each day and met familial obligations, which included raising three children. 鈥淚t was so difficult,鈥� he said of that time.

About 60 hours into his work at Gordon-Conwell, Lyerly ran out of gas and stopped. Around 2011, shortly after he鈥檇 begun working at Nexsen Pruet  –  now Maynard Nexsen, he felt a new call to 鈥済o back and complete the degree鈥� at Gordon-Conwell. He did — even though, initially, there was no record of him having completed a class in Hebrew during his first stint there. Eventually, proof of his having completed the Hebrew class emerged and he avoided the possibility of not passing a written Hebrew exam 鈥減urported to be so difficult that Moses wouldn鈥檛 be able to pass it!鈥�

Also a participant in a training program, Lyerly says his Christian faith has influenced his life in a holistic way. While being officially ordained as a minister of the gospel by Charlotte鈥檚 First Baptist Church, Lyerly鈥檚 ministry service has always been in a voluntary capacity while working at Maynard Nexsen.

鈥淎s a follower of Christ, we are all called to share our faith with others,鈥� Lyerly said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 force-feed it to anybody. But there are different times when it鈥檚 very appropriate to share. For me, it鈥檚 kind of all encompassing. It鈥檚 part of who I am. It鈥檚 what I do. It鈥檚 just part of what I feel that my life should involve.鈥�