Jim Glasgow died on 17 August 1994, aged 88. The year before he had retired from long-established Nelson law firm Glasgow Harley and was honoured on 31 March 1993 with a Nelson District Law Society bar dinner as Nelson's longest-serving lawyer.

Mr Glasgow was admitted to the bar in 1932 after graduating from Canterbury University College. After a period as a Judge's Associate in Wellington, he entered the practice of his father, John Glasgow, and remained in the firm throughout his career.

During the 1930s he served on one of the Adjustment Commissions which inspected properties and made decisions about which mortgages should be sustained and which should be written off. He also served two terms on the Nelson City Council in the early 1950s and chaired the town planning committee.

He took an active part in the Nelson District Law Society and was President from 1951 to 1953. He became an Honorary Life Member of the Nelson District Law Society in 1982.

When Mr Glasgow retired in 1993, at the age of 87 he had been in practice for 61 years and was one of the longest-serving lawyers in New Zealand.

Nelson District Law Society President Brian Nelson described Mr Glasgow as well respected by his colleagues for his high ethical standards and his rapid and accurate grasp of legal principles.