The title compound, [Cu(C_9H_8BrClNO_2)_2], is a square-planar complex. The potentially tridentate dibasic 2-bromo-4-chloro-6-{[(2-hydroxyethyl)imino]meth-yl}phenolate ligand coordinates in a trans-bis fashion to the CuII centre via the imine N and phenolate O atoms. The Cu^{II} atom lies on the centre of inversion of the mol-ecule. The potentially coordinating hydroxyethyl group remains protonated and uncoordinated, taking part in intermolecular hydrogen bonds with vicinal groups, leading to the formation of a two-dimensional hydrogen-bond network with sheets parallel to the (10 1) plane. Substituent effects on the crystal packing and coordination modes of the ligand are discussed.