Render a WordPress menu without the container

functions.php

<?php

if ( has_nav_menu( 'footer-1' ) ) {
  wp_nav_menu( array(
    'theme_location' => 'footer-1',
    'container'      => '',
    'menu_class'     => 'footer_links', // You may want to add a particular CSS class to make it easier to identify
  ) );
}