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Talia Scott ’19 Launches Legally BLK
T
alia Scott ’19 has long wanted to be a
lawyer and has worked hard to make that dream come true. At Haverford, the political science major, who wrote her thesis on the emergence of an American prosecutorial reform movement, interned in the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office. She also commuted weekly to New York City during her senior year to intern with Danielle Logan ’12, director of business and legal affairs at record label 300 Entertainment. And currently, she works as a paralegal at a New York City law firm. But as she prepared to apply to law school, Scott discovered just how expensive the next steps on her professional journey could be. 8
Haverford Magazine
Because scores are such an important factor in law school admission decisions, she spent more than $5,000 preparing for and taking the LSAT, accumulating credit card debt along the way. This led to a realization: “If the financial costs of the application process were a barrier for me, they were probably a barrier for other young Black women as well.” She also wondered if that helped to contribute to the low representation of people who look like her in the legal profession. The dismal statistics: Only five percent of lawyers in the United States are Black, and only two percent are Black women. So Scott created the Legally BLK Fund. (Its name is a nod to the Reese Witherspoon movie Legally Blonde, one of her favorites.) Working quickly, just one day after hatching the idea she launched the fund via her Instagram account and started collecting money via Venmo and the I Have a Dream Foundation. Since June, Scott has raised $16,000, and, as of late September, the inaugural 2020 class had been selected from more than 100 applicants. Each of the women will receive $1,000, along with help with their law school applications for a fall 2021 enrollment. (The 2021 fund application will be released in the spring.) With guidance from Vincent Indelicato ’03 and his firm, Proskauer Rose LLP, Legally BLK was incorporated as a 501c3 nonprofit, and Scott’s former internship mentor Logan became her first official board member. Though she is busy with her job and her own law school applications for next year, Scott is committed to growing the Legally BLK Fund into a sustainable, long-term entity that will continue as she pursues her own legal career. She also wants to expand the project by offering additional support, such as mentors, law school admissions coaching, professional development opportunities, and grants and scholarships for current law school students. “I hope this fund creates a long-lasting pipeline for young Black women who want to enter the legal profession,” says Scott. “The goal is to raise that two percent, and I think we’re on our way to doing that!” More information: legallyblkfund.org. —Rebecca Raber
