Shutt named Lawyer of the Year for her ERISA practice
August 25, 2025
Nekki Shutt has won Lawyer of the Year honors for her work in Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law in the Columbia area in the just-released 2026 “Best Lawyers in America.”
It’s Shutt’s sixth Lawyer of the Year designation, with five of those awards coming in employee benefits-related practice areas.
Shutt’s wide-ranging legal practice includes extensive work in ERISA and employee benefits law in federal court. These cases often involve improper denial of short- and long-term disability benefits, denial of group life insurance, and denial of group health insurance claims.
One of the founders of Burnette Shutt & McDaniel, Shutt is a South Carolina Supreme Court-certified specialist in employment law. She has been honored in “Best Lawyers” every year since 2010. In the just-released 2026 edition, her impressive showing includes recognition in nine practice areas, from commercial litigation to civil rights.
“When you’ve worked closely with Nekki for more than a decade, it’s easy to see the impressive legal knowledge and determination she brings to every case,” firm co-founder Malissa Burnette said. “It’s great that the Columbia legal community recognizes her amazing skills, too.”
Ten others at Burnette Shutt & McDaniel are recognized in “Best Lawyers” across more than a dozen diverse practice areas in this latest edition of the annual guide: Stuart M. Andrews, M. Malissa Burnette, Jack E. Cohoon, Kathleen M. McDaniel, Ashley Pennington, Janet E. Rhodes, and David E. Rothstein. Three additional attorneys are highlighted in “Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch”: Sarah J.M. Cox, Lydia Robins Hendrix, and Grant Burnette LeFever.
Burnette Shutt & McDaniel attorneys have been included in “Best Lawyers in America” every year for more than two decades. As of 2025, the most recent year that’s been published, the companion piece, “Best Law Firms in America,” has honored Burnette Shutt & McDaniel every year since the firm was founded. The 2026 edition of “Best Law Firms” will be released in November.
The “Best Lawyers” selection process begins with a nomination, followed by peer review from attorneys in the same geographic region and practice area. Independent research verifies attorneys’ credentials. The selection process for “Ones to Watch,” which is limited to attorneys with less than 10 years’ practice, is the same. Lawyer of the Year honors go to the attorney with the top peer-review marks in each practice area and each geographic location.
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.
