Civil rights attorney Stuart Andrews joins Burnette Shutt & McDaniel

February 25, 2022

A civil rights attorney with decades of experience in fighting for systemic change, Stuart Andrews has joined Burnette Shutt & McDaniel.

Andrews has been a member of the legal team in multiple significant reform cases in South Carolina. A lawsuit against the SC Department of Corrections challenged its treatment of incarcerated individuals with serious mental illness. He also successfully challenged the failure of certain Lowcountry municipalities to appoint lawyers to represent defendants charged with criminal offenses. He’s currently involved in an action against the Charleston County sheriff’s office alleging the unconstitutional treatment of youths awaiting trials.

“We are so thrilled that an attorney with Stuart’s tenacity, determination and legal experience has joined our firm,” firm co-founder Malissa Burnette said. “He’s a great example of what we mean when we say we want to move law forward. He’s spent decades doing exactly that.”

Andrews began his career as a Legal Aid attorney. He eventually rose to lead SC Legal Services Association, the agency overseeing state policy developments affecting lower-income South Carolinians. In that position, he authored legislation that gave renters additional legal protections and, for the first time, recognized domestic violence as a separate crime in South Carolina.

After leaving the public sector, he established the first structured pro bono services program at a large regional law firm. Within three years, his efforts led to American Bar Association honors as the National Pro Bono Firm of the Year. In addition to the mental health conditions lawsuit, the program also cleared the way for systemic reform litigation challenging the constitutionality of the state’s funding of low-income school districts and the failure of the Department of Juvenile Justice to provide appropriate services for youthful offenders. Each case was litigated for more than a decade.

At Burnette Shutt & McDaniel, his practice will include civil rights law and litigation, administrative law and qui tam whistleblower cases.

 

About Burnette Shutt & McDaniel, PA

Located in Columbia’s historic business district, Burnette Shutt & McDaniel, PA’s attorneys are licensed to practice in all South Carolina courts and at all levels of federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court. The firm represents clients in a range of areas, including employment, environmental, education, family, and criminal law. They also handle employee benefits and ERISA matters, civil rights cases, privacy and data protection issues and government matters such as eminent domain, land use and zoning. Learn more at burnetteshutt.law.