ABA, SC Supreme Court honor Burnette Shutt & McDaniel

Columbia, SC – The American Bar Association has again honored Burnette Shutt & for its pro bono work, and four attorneys at the firm have received state recognition as well.

For the second consecutive year, the ABA has named Burnette Shutt & McDaniel a Pro Bono Leader for its work with the organization’s Free Legal Answers Program. The site is a virtual legal clinic, where licensed attorneys answer questions from low-income people about a range of civil legal issues. Attorneys at the firm answered 87 questions in 2021.

Sarah J.M. Cox, who led the firm’s efforts, also was honored individually as a Pro Bono Leader.

Additionally, Cox, Nekki Shutt, Kathleen McDaniel and Jack Cohoon are members of the South Carolina Supreme Court’s 2021 Pro Bono Hall of Fame. That honor recognizes outstanding efforts to provide legal services to charitable groups or to people of limited means for free or at a reduced fee. It’s also the second year in a row the three have received the honor.

Since its founding, Burnette Shutt & McDaniel has been committed to helping others through pro bono work, ranging from individual cases to high-profile federal litigation. The attorneys have represented people on a variety of issues, including employment law and civil rights.

The firm’s motto is moving law forward, and that it includes moving it forward for people who need help but can’t afford it.

Attorneys at the firm have dedicated countless hours throughout their careers to fighting for the rights of others, from men and women incarcerated in South Carolina prisons to challenging a South Carolina policy of charging people with certain criminal convictions a fee for state ID that was free to most people. The firm’s pro bono work also helped pave the way for marriage equality in South Carolina. Burnette Shutt & McDaniel attorneys frequently represent the LGBTG+ community and fight for women’s rights in pro bono cases.