Brooks F. Jaffa was born in Charlotte, North Carolina and is a third generation Charlottean.  He graduated with distinction from the University of North Carolina in 2009 and with honors from the University of North Carolina School of Law in 2012.  He was admitted to the Bar in 2012 and is admitted to practice in North Carolina, the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, and the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.  After graduating law school, Brooks clerked for the Honorable Frank D. Whitney, Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina.  Following the completion of his clerkship, Brooks joined the law firm of Cranford, Buckley, Schultze, Tomchin Allen, and Buie, P.A. as an associate attorney.  He practices primarily in the areas of fiduciary litigation, commercial litigation, estate planning, and estate administration.  He was recognized by Business North Carolina’s Legal Elite in the category of Tax/Estate Planning and as a “Young Gun” in 2019, having previously been recognized as Young Gun in 2017 and 2018.  Brooks was also included in the 2019 Edition of the The Best Lawyers in America in the area of Trusts and Estates.

 

Outside of his practice, Brooks is very active in the North Carolina Bar Association (“NCBA”).  Brooks serves as the Chair of the Estate Planning and Fiduciary Law Section’s (“EPFLS”) Pro Bono Committee of the NCBA and previously served as the Young Lawyer Liaison to the EPFLS.  He also serves on the EPFLS’ Legislative Committee where he helped draft the North Carolina Uniform Power of Attorney Act.  Brooks is also a member and current Chair of the Standing Committee on Disaster Legal Services for the NCBA’s Young Lawyers Division.  In this capacity he has overseen the provision of disaster legal services to victims of Hurricane Florence.  Previously he served as the District 9 (NC) Representative (and past Division Director and Committee Chair) for the NCBA’s Young Lawyers Division and the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division.  In his role as the District 9 Representative, Brooks organized and led the NCBA’s disaster legal services project in which over 175 attorneys provided pro bono legal services to over 400 individuals and families affected by Hurricane Matthew in Eastern North Carolina.  For his efforts for with respect to Hurricane Matthew, Brooks received the Younger Lawyer Pro Bono Attorney of the Year Award from the NCBA and the Pro Bono Award for Outstanding Collaborative Project from the Mecklenburg County Bar.  Outside of his work with the NCBA, Brooks serves as a member of the Board of Directors for Jewish Family Services of Greater Charlotte and Loaves and Fishes.