Nekki Shutt

A certified specialist in labor and employment law, Nekki Shutt has been involved in the employment / human resources field for more than 20 years, beginning with her work in the personnel department of a publicly-traded property and casualty insurance company. While working for the company before and during her undergraduate studies at the University of South Carolina, Nekki eventually became the company's corporate recruiter, responsible for hiring approximately 225 employees on an annual basis as well as managing its temporary workforce. After receiving her bachelor's degree in communications in 1988, Nekki went on to attend law school at the University of South Carolina. During her studies, Nekki worked as a graduate assistant in what is now the Master's in Human Resources Program at the USC Darla Moore School of Business. She also clerked for the law firm that represented the insurer where she had previously been employed. After receiving her Juris Doctor degree from the USC School of Law in 1995, Nekki built on her human resources experience and developed a civil litigation practice with an emphasis on employee benefits (ERISA) and employment law. Nekki joined Callison Tighe in 2000 and became a partner in January 2002. From 2000 to 2005, she served as an adjunct professor at the University of South Carolina School of Law, teaching a course for third year law students entitled "Diversity and the Law," emphasizing social justice issues involving race, gender, sexual orientation, disabilities, and the poor. In 2005, Nekki was honored for her professional excellence when the University of South Carolina awarded her the James Petigru Compleat Lawyer Award, Silver Medallion. Most recently, Nekki authored the ERISA chapters in the Labor and Employment Law for South Carolina Lawyer 2007 and 2011 editions. Nekki also is the author of a chapter on employment law for Paralegal Survival Guide, to be published by South Carolina Bar Association in 2010. Additionally, she was selected by her peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2010 through 2013 editions in the field of labor and employment law and in Legal Elite of the Midlands in 2012 in the category of labor and employment law.