Shutt wins fourth Lawyer of the Year award

COLUMBIA, SC – Nekki Shutt, a founding member of Burnette Shutt & McDaniel, has won her fourth Lawyer of the Year award from Best Lawyers in America. 

This year’s honor is her work in Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law in the Columbia area. Of her previous awards, two were for ERISA-related practice areas and the other was in employment law.

“Working with Nekki on a daily basis, it’s easy for all of us to see what an amazingly skilled and determined attorney she is,” firm co-founder Malissa Burnette said. “It’s great that our peers in the Columbia area recognized that as well. It speaks to her reputation that she’s received Lawyer of the Year honors so many times.”

In addition to the Lawyer of the Year award, Shutt is recognized in eight other practice areas in the just-released 2023 edition of Best Lawyers. Most of awards are in areas related to employment law and employee benefits. She also is honored for her work in qui tam whistleblower law, personal injury litigation, and commercial litigation.

Shutt has been included in every edition of Best Lawyers since 2010. This is the second year she’s been recognized in nine practice areas.

“As the Lawyer of the Year award demonstrates, certainly Nekki’s is one of the first names that comes to mind when it comes to employee benefits law in Columbia,” firm co-founder Kathleen McDaniel said. “The long list of practice areas she’s honored in, though, tells us that our colleagues in the legal profession know what we’re certainly aware of at Burnette Shutt & McDaniel: That Nekki is an incredibly versatile lawyer capable of fighting for clients in a broad range of areas.”

Shutt has been certified as an employment law specialist for more than a decade. Her ERISA practice includes fighting for employee benefits such as long-term disability, short-term disability, life insurance, and more under federal and South Carolina law.

About Best Lawyers

For 40 years, Best Lawyers has used an exclusive selection system incorporating peer review and independent research to create a go-to directory of the nation’s top attorneys. A single Lawyer of the Year award goes to the attorney with the highest overall peer feedback for a specific location and practice area.