2026 H. Brent McKnight Renaissance Lawyer Award - North Carolina Bar Association

To recognize those North Carolina attorneys whose trustworthiness, respectful and courteous treatment of all people, enthusiasm for intellectual achievement and commitment to excellence in work, and service to the profession and community during a multi-faceted, accomplished life, inspire others.

Shelby Benton ss a 1982 graduate of NCSU with a degree in Political Science/Criminal Justice and a 1985 graduate of Campbell University School of Law. She has practiced in Wayne County, NC since 1985. From 1985 to 1995 she practiced Criminal and Family Law. In 1995 she became certified as a Specialist in Family Law by the NC State Bar and has remained so certified since that time. Since 1995 she has focused her practice on Family Law. She is a Fellow in the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML), a Diplomate in the American College of Family Trial Lawyers ACFTL), a DRC certified family and financial mediator and an AAML certified arbitrator.

Mrs. Benton is a past President of the North Carolina Bar Association (NCBA)(2015-2016). Prior to being named President Elect of the NCBA (2014-2015), Mrs. Benton served the Association in a number of leadership roles: Chair of the Family Law Section from 2009 to 2010; Board of Governors member from 2010 to 2013; Chair of the Talent Development Committee from 2017 to 2019; Member of the 4All Committee from 2011 to 2016; Current Chair of the Legislative Advisory Committee. Mrs. Benton is a frequent speaker and planner at NCBA continuing legal education seminars for fellow attorneys and paralegals in the family law field. She has served the North Carlina State Bar as: President of the 8th Judicial District Bar; Counselor for the 8th Judicial District; Member of the LAMP Committee; Member of the State Bar Ethics Committee; Member of the Paralegal Certification Board, and as a Chair and Trustee of the IOLTA Board from 2019 to 2025. Currently she is serving the State Bar as a Member of the Family Law Board of Legal Specialization. She has been appointed and serves the state of NC as a Commissioner on the NC Domestic Violence Commission where she Chairs the Victim Services Committee. Nationally, she serves on the Legislative and Racial, Ethnic and Religious Considerations in Family Law Committees of the AAML. In the private business arena, she currently serves as a Director for the Mount Olive Pickle Company and Shallco, Inc.

Mrs. Benton has been rated for the past thirty (30) years with an AV Preeminent rating by Martindale-Hubbell (1996-2026). She has been listed in North Carolina Super Lawyers from 2010 – 2026 and she has been listed as one of the Top 50 Woman Lawyers in NC by North Carolina Super Lawyers for several years. Business North Carolina Magazine has named her among the Legal Elite in North Carolina in Family Law from 2011 to present. Best Lawyers in America have included her for the years 2009 – 2026 for the specialty of family law. In 2012, she was recognized by the NC Bar Association for her service to her community and the legal profession with a Citizen Lawyer Award. NC Lawyers Weekly honored her with a 2012 Women of Justice Award and in 2023 with an Icon Award. In 2013, Best Lawyers named her the Best Lawyer for the Raleigh Region in Family Law. In 2015, Campbell University honored her as a Distinguished Alumna. In 2019, the Family Law Section of the NCBA recognized her with their Distinguished Service Award and she received the first Wayne County Women of the Year Award from the Wayne County Chamber of Commerce. In 2022, the NC State Bar honored her with the John B. McMillan Distinguished Service Award, the only award given by the NC State Bar.

In addition to being active at the national, state, and local levels in the family law field, Mrs. Benton has been active in her local community. She has served on several boards and advisory committees concerning public education over the past 40 years. She Chaired the Day Reporting Center Task Force for Wayne County and assisted in the: grant writing to develop the program; identification and renovation of the first space for the program; hiring of the first Director; and advised the program for three years thereafter. She assisted in the development of a traveling volleyball program for young woman in Wayne County for six years. She has served on the Advisory Board for the Salvation Army. She assisted the Wayne County Bar and her local Communities Supporting Schools Program from 2012 – 2015 to develop a Teen and Attorney Partnership for Success (TAPS) program for high school students to have Countywide Mock Trial Competitions. She has assisted local middle school Mock Trial Teams as they prepare for the NCBA Middle School Mock Trial Competition. She is an active member at First Presbyterian Church in Goldsboro. She continues to work with her local Communities Supporting Schools Program on other projects. She is a member of the NC Community Foundation Board.