Talia Scott

When Talia Scott [she/her] took a job as a paralegal at the famous Cravath Law Firm, she didn’t expect to become a crusader for Black women. But it was 2020, and Scott’s professional beginnings coincided with a period of national racial unrest. “I was working at one of the most prestigious white-shoe law firms in the world,” she says, “and down on the streets people were protesting. I felt like I wasn’t doing my part as a Black person.”

Scott was a first-generation college graduate, born and raised in Harlem by a single immigrant mother; she knew that most women from her background lacked the resources and the guidance to enter the legal profession. (Black women comprise only 2% of lawyers nationally—an egregious underrepresentation.) She decided to start a fund to help young Black women pay the many costs associated with applying to law school. She posted a flyer on Instagram calling for donations, branding her effort the Legally BLK Fund. “Honestly,” she says, “I thought maybe I could raise a thousand dollars.” But the idea took off. Within just a few weeks, Scott’s solicitation had been reposted to several high-profile accounts, and she’d raised over $17,000.

The operation has since scaled up dramatically. The Legally BLK fund has provided over $60,000 in direct aid to its Fellows and provided them access to Black women attorney mentors. And Scott is now investing in a program for students of color in New York City high schools, creating a much-needed pipeline toward the legal profession. Scott’s work has been featured in major media outlets and, in 2023, the Legally BLK fund received the prestigious David Prize—an unrestricted grant of $200,000 for New Yorkers with big ideas. “This started as a way for me to deal with my frustration,” Scott says. “I’m blown away by what it’s become.”