Shutt participates in Charleston School of Law panel covering family law for same-sex spouses

COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA – Nekki Shutt, was a participant in a spring symposium organized by the Federal Courts Law Review at the Charleston School of Law.

The symposium is an annual event that draws both students and practicing attorneys. This year’s program included a keynote address followed by four, one-hour panels. Shutt was a panelist for “Life After Obergefell: Family Law Issues for Same-Sex Spouses.”

Colleen Condon, a family law attorney whom Shutt represented in South Carolina’s landmark same-sex marriage case, and Daniel Prenner, a family law attorney and certified family court mediator, joined Shutt on the panel.

In Obergefell v. Hodges, the U.S. Supreme Court held that the right to marry is a fundamental one. That 2015 ruling required states to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples and to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states.

For same-sex couples, the decision opened up a range of legal issues they’d never before had to consider, from the financial impact of marriage to whether they need a prenuptial agreement. The three attorneys discussed issues such as those during the symposium.

Other panels addressed police body cameras and privacy; freedom of speech and government symbols; and pro bono practice.

The choice of topics was in keeping with the law review’s fresh approach to this year’s symposium. The idea was to choose subjects that would spur conversations within the legal community about monumental legal and social changes. Organizers wanted to examine national issues from a local perspective, as well as discuss the legal changes still developing in the aftermath of decisions such as Obergefell.

Shutt is a certified specialist in South Carolina employment law. Her practice covers a range of issues, including federal employee benefits and rights under laws such as ERISA and FMLA, discrimination in the workplace and wrongful termination.