Brockman, James F.

Clifford Britt, a co-founder of Comerford & Britt, believes that every client is entitled to fair representation. His legal expertise encompasses a full spectrum of areas of law-including auto accidents, aviation disasters, inadequate security, premises liability, and others-but he places a primary focus on representing victims of medical malpractice.

Cliff has handled a variety of cases of medical negligence, including:  birth trauma involving injuries (often severe brain damage and/or cerebral palsy) to newborn infants (before, during, and after birth), failure to diagnose spinal injuries (including a spine injury that occurred after more than a week in the hospital and resulted in permanent quadriplegia), failure to diagnose sepsis and pneumococcal meningitis (resulting in amputation of all four limbs), failure to diagnose infection (including one case of orbital cellulitis that resulted in total blindness), failure to treat a perforated bowel after surgery, failure to diagnose cancer, orthopaedic malpractice (including spinal surgeries and cauda equina syndrome), improper administration of medications, improper treatment for deep vein thrombosis, failure to diagnose heart attacks, eye surgeries, obstetrical malpractice (including shoulder dystocia and brachial plexus injuries resulting in Erb's Palsy), and many other types of medical negligence. He has also handled claims involving dental malpractice, nursing home neglect, and elder abuse.

In addition, Cliff also represents victims of truck wrecks, police chases, drunk drivers, dram shop liability, plane crashes, train derailments, helicopter crashes, jet blast, air traffic controller negligence, inadequate security at shopping centers or parking lots, defective products (including aircraft engines and airframes, automobile air bags, tires, chemicals and packaging, ski rope handles, and climbing safety equipment), dog attacks, unsafe premises, motor vehicle collisions and other forms of recklessness or negligence.

Law was a likely choice of profession for Cliff, whose father, three uncles and other relatives were lawyers and judges. His family members have served in the North Carolina General Assembly, the North Carolina Court of Appeals, the North Carolina Supreme Court, the United States Federal District Court, and as the Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives.

Cliff has compiled his own list of legal accomplishments.

After earning a Bachelor of Arts degree, a Master of Business Administration degree, and a Juris Doctor from Wake Forest University, Cliff worked as a defense attorney on a number of medical malpractice, aircraft crashes, motor vehicle collisions, and defective products cases for Petree, Stockton and Robinson in Winston-Salem. At this firm, he developed an understanding of how insurance companies and their representatives evaluate and defend such cases. The experience has proven to be invaluable even today.

Cliff is an active member of a number of professional organizations, including the North Carolina Advocates for Justice ("NCAJ") (formerly the NC Academy of Trial Lawyers). He is a Past President of the NCAJ (2005-06) and is a trustee of the NCAJ's political action committee. He previously served as President-elect (2004-05), Vice President for legislative affairs (2002-04), Vice President for Education (2000-02), chair of the Editorial Board (1999-2001), and chair of the Professional Negligence Section (2000-2001). He is also a member of the American Association for Justice (formerly the Association of Trial Lawyers of America), where he is a member of the sections on Aviation, Professional Negligence, Products Liability, Motor Vehicle Collision, Highway, and Premises Liability; the Birth Trauma Litigation Group; the Medical Negligence Information Exchange Group; and the Nursing Home Litigation Group; the North Carolina Bar Association, where he has served as a member on the Board of Governors (2007-10) and the Executive Committee (2007-08), Chair of the Litigation Section (2004-05), and was on the executive council of the Litigation Section for several years (as Vice-Chair (2003-04)) and as Secretary (2002-03). He is a member of the North Carolina State Bar, and is a permanent member of the Fourth Circuit Judicial Conference.

Cliff has been recognized by several lawyer rating services involving peer recognition and professional achievement. For the year 2013, he was selected by "Best Lawyers" as one of only 4 "Lawyers of the Year" in North Carolina in the area of "Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiff." Cliff has been recognized in "Best Lawyers" for a number of years. He has also been recognized as a "Super Lawyer" continuously since 2007. And he continues to have the highest rating "AV Preeminent" from Martindale-Hubbell, signifying that other lawyers rank him at the highest level of ethical standards, legal abilities and professional excellence.

Cliff and his wife have four children, and are members at Augsburg Lutheran Church in downtown Winston-Salem, where he served on Church Council (2008-10). Cliff is very active with Wake Forest University and the University's fundraising activities. He is a dedicated supporter of the Deacon Club, a member of the Society of 1834 in 2008-09, a past member of the Founder's Circle, and a member of the Law Alumni Council (President 2005-07; President-Elect 2004-05). He enjoys scouting and was an assistant scoutmaster with a local Boy Scout Troop (Troop 934 at Mt. Tabor Methodist Church). He previously served as advancement chairman of the Boy Scout Committee of the Old Hickory Council. Cliff also enjoys cycling, photography, kayaking, fishing, and Wake Forest sports (especially football and basketball).  He can also be found on his iPhone with Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.