Nekki Shutt, Janet Rhodes named to SC Lawyers Weekly Power List
COLUMBIA, SC – Nekki Shutt and Janet Rhodes are highlighted in the just-released 2024 SC Lawyers Weekly Employment Power List, making Burnette Shutt & McDaniel the only firm with two attorneys included in the exclusive publication.
In its second year, the Power List recognizes the important work of less than a dozen employment lawyers statewide. Selection criteria include professional leadership, a record of success in cases, community leadership, and the respect of peers.
Over the course of her career, Nekki consistently has earned recognition in in the peer-reviewed Best Lawyers in America in a diverse array of nine practice areas. She also has earned Lawyer of the Year honors for the Columbia area five times, the most recent in 2024 for her work in Litigation – ERISA. She also was honored recently in Columbia Business Monthly’s Legal Elite of the Midlands. A certified specialist in employment law since 2011, Nekki devotes a significant portion of her practice to employee benefits issues under federal ERISA laws and similar state statutes. She fights for clients who are wrongly denied disability claims, life-insurance benefits or healthcare coverage. Nekki was part of the legal team in a landmark civil rights case that paved the way for marriage equality in South Carolina.
Her leadership roles in the legal profession include serving on the SC Bar Board of Governors and as the Treasurer to the Board. She is past chair of the SC Bar’s Labor and Employment Law Section.
Both Nekki and Janet represent clients in a wide range of employment law issues, including wrongful termination, discrimination and wage disputes.
Janet also is recognized frequently for her work in the practice area, including being named on the Power List for Employment and Labor Law in 2023 as well as this year. She was honored in the past eight editions of Best Lawyers. She’s also been recognized in five editions of Legal Elite.
Janet is a native of Ninety Six in Greenwood County. She graduated magna cum laude at Wofford College where she was an NCAA Division I competitor in javelin, setting schools records as she earned MVP and all-conference honors. Additionally, she performed with three vocal groups, the Wofford Singers, the Wofford Show Choir, and the Gold Tones, an eight-woman acapella ensemble.
A leader in the legal community, she’s long been involved in the SC Bar Employment and Labor Law Section, currently chairing the group. A performing artist in vocal groups both in college and as a member of Columbia’s Sandlapper Singers, she’s a member of the Trustus Theater Board.
In addition to representing employees fight for their rights, Janet also assists businesses, drafting contracts and policies aimed at helping keep them compliant with the latest in employment law.