In Remembrance of Cliff Brown
For forty-seven years, Cliff devoted his time and energy to the practice of law, beginning his career with a focus in family law, and later in the areas of probate, estate planning and trust litigation. Among his greatest talents was his ability to explain the complicated in terms anyone could fully grasp, from first-time clients to seasoned attorneys attending one of his countless seminars. Cliff was a much sought-after speaker on the CLE circuit, and regularly spoke on behalf of the Supreme Court of Missouri, the Missouri Bar, the University of Missouri, and the Springfield Metropolitan Bar Association, and he authored several legal publications.
Cliff served as president of the SMBA in 2006. During his term, his top priority was to help ensure future generations of attorneys entered the practice with the resources and relationships they needed to succeed. As a result of his inspiration, the SMBA established its new lawyer orientation program, now known as “Tour de Courts.” To acknowledge Cliff’s extraordinary contribution, the SMBA established an award in his name, honoring members of the bar who have distinguished themselves by mentoring other lawyers.
Always the leader by example, Cliff personally mentored countless attorneys, of varying levels of experience, over the course of his career. It never mattered who was asking the question or what the question might be, Cliff happily shared his expertise with others, and did so with humor and endless grace. After offering an initial answer of “green” to any question posed, Cliff would crack his wry smile and proceed to sit and answer questions for as long as he was needed. Those habits continued even after his retirement, when Cliff would often stop by the office, typically wearing his “Old Guys Rule” t-shirt and his coffee mug in hand, just to see how the younger attorneys were faring.
Cliff was the consummate gentleman attorney, ever civil and respectful to everyone he encountered, and to know him was to genuinely like him. His warmth, generosity, and humor will be sorely missed, but his contributions to the profession and to the people he helped along the way will live on forever.
A celebration of life will be held at a later time. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in memory of Cliff Brown to the Alzheimer Association or a charitable organization of your choice.
Carnahan, Evans, Cantwell & Brown extends heartfelt condolences to Cliff’s family, friends, and colleagues.
