ABA honors Burnette Shutt & McDaniel for its pro bono work
COLUMBIA, SC – The American Bar Association has honored Burnette Shutt & McDaniel with a Pro Bono Leader for 2020. Additionally, attorney Sarah J.M. Cox was recognized for her individual efforts.
The award goes to only a few law firms each year. Totals for 2020 are not yet available, but in 2019 only 16 firms in the entire country were honored.
Cox alone answered 326 questions in 2020. Her practice includes employment law, personal injury cases, and other litigation. She also can help clients with name and gender changes and in grandparent visitation. She recently examined grandparent visitation rights in all 50 states and wrote about the subject in a recent issue of “Children’s Legal Rights Journal.”
The awards are the latest recognition of Burnette Shutt & McDaniel’s deep commitment to pro bono work. Firm co-founder Malissa Burnette received the ABA award last year, and she also was honored with the South Carolina Bar Senior Lawyers Division Pro Bono Award.
The firm represents pro bono clients in cases ranging from personal employment law or civil rights issues to high-profile federal litigation.
Across the country, more than 140,000 questions covering a variety of civil issues were submitted online to Free Legal Answers last year. Family and children’s law questions were asked the most often.
The way it works: People post questions to their state’s area at Free Legal Answers. Attorneys in each state select questions to answer, providing legal advice and information.
The ABA’s Free Legal Answers program is sometimes the only place people can turn to for legal assistance. Some cannot get to attorney’s offices due to transportation problems, while others are unable to hire lawyers due to conflicts of interest or income limitations.