WHO WE ARE
The Legally BLK Fund is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting aspiring Black women attorneys
INCREASING THE REPRESENTATION OF BLACK WOMEN IN LAW
Only 2% of attorneys in the U.S. are Black women. While this percentage is shockingly low, it is reflective of limited resources and the additional hardships Black women face as they attempt to enter the legal industry.
Legally BLK Fund cuts through common barriers that disproportionately impact Black women— lack of mentors in the field, limited knowledge on the process, financial costs to access quality tutoring and admissions consultants, and a community of others going through it.
Our mission is to provide Black women with the tools, knowledge and confidence to achieve their legal aspirations. Legally BLK Fund’s vision is that Black women have the opportunity to succeed in the law school application process and beyond.
Our Services
Mentorship
Mentorship helps Black women thrive in the legal profession. Mentors serve as direct resources to assist Fellows with the transition to law school, developing skills crucial to success in the legal profession and answering. Receiving such structure and guidance before entering law school will allow Fellows to grow their professional network before entering law school. If you are an attorney and woman of color and think you would be a great mentor, we would love to have you! Please fill out the Volunteer Interest Form. The one-on-one mentoring program requires a minimum 1-year commitment with the hope that many relationships will last a lifetime.
Application Support
All of the 2020 Legally BLK Fund Fellows are first-generation future attorneys. As the first in their families to embark on this journey, support and guidance are crucial to success in the law school application process and beyond. We provide access to resources and knowledge through workshops, events, and unique opportunities such as application review and more. Our primary goal is to help our members be more competitive law school applicants and law students.
Financial Support
Applying to law school is a precarious financial decision. One’s socioeconomic status should not affect one’s ability to apply to law school and succeed in the application process, but oftentimes it does. Costs such as LSAT prep, private tutoring, law school application fees can impact the legal education options available to Black women. These expenses often leave underrepresented and underprivileged students who cannot afford them at an extreme disadvantage. With your donation to the Legally BLK Fund, we provide aspiring Black women attorneys with financial support to aid their law school application journey.
Professional Development
Legally BLK Fund members receive access to professional development from law students and practicing attorneys including but not limited to resume and interview prep, office etiquette, legal writing, and more. Moreover, we aim to provide Fellows with the skills and tools to be successful during the first year of law school and beyond.
MEET THE FOUNDER
Founded by Talia Scott, the Legally BLK Fund started as a social media initiative.
As a recent law school applicant, Scott experienced how expensive the law school application process was. The cost of applying became a financial burden and source of stress for her and as she thought of her own struggles, she realized that other Black women probably faced such barriers on their journey as well. She realized how costly it was to prepare for and take the LSAT and how inaccessible that made applying to law school feel to a first-generation college graduate, she was also disappointed to learn how few attorneys like her exist in America, where only 5% of lawyers are Black and only 2% are Black women. With these dismal percentages in mind, Scott also thought of the recent killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd, which had taken an emotional toll on her.
In light of the continued injustice and questions regarding whether their killers will be held accountable and if the district attorney[s] would bring the appropriate charges, she thought about the need for more Black attorneys, especially Black women in law. So Scott created the Legally BLK Fund. (Its name is a nod to the Reese Witherspoon movie Legally Blonde, one of her favorites.) She initially had a modest goal: to raise $5,000 to support the costs associated with applying to law school for five Black women. She got to work quickly, launching the fund via her Instagram and collecting money via Venmo and the I Have a Dream Foundation only one day after she first hatched the idea. But with hundreds of likes and thousands of views on her post, Scott raised over $17, 000 and decided to turn the fund into a non-profit.
GROW WITH US
Here’s Your Opportunity to Get Involved
The Legally BLK Fund is committed to supporting aspiring Black women attorneys with the help of volunteers and like-minded partners. Gender, race and socioeconomic status should not determine one's success in the law school application process and beyond. With your help, we can continue our work to diversify the legal profession.