Sistahs in Law

Talia Scott is in her final year of the JD/MBA program at New York University School of Law and the Stern School of Business. A first-generation college and professional student from Harlem, NY, Talia is a proud alumna of TYWLS East Harlem and graduated from Haverford College in 2019 as a QuestBridge Scholar with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. She will begin her legal career as a corporate associate at Davis Polk & Wardwell in the fall.

Talia has professional experience across corporate law, entertainment law, finance, and the nonprofit sector. She is the founder of the Legally BLK Fund, a nonprofit organization that supports Black women applying to law school.  Talia is a member of the Amplify Her Foundation Leadership Network, where she helps advance philanthropic efforts in support of organizations serving women and girls and she is deeply passionate about empowering the next generation of changemakers.

It took a little bit of time, but I'm finally bring the podcast back. In this episode, I get into my motivations for going to law school, a little background on my passion for traveling and francophone cultures as well as the immense favor that God has placed on my life in opening up doors that have been divinely placed along my path. I hope my story helps inspire someone as it took a bit of time to really practice gratitude on the way here because the journey was never straightforward. Enjoy the episode!

Intellectual property law is often considered the "sexiest" form of law. Learn more about this practice area from this week's guest who is an expert in the field. 

Kamanta  Kettle is a commercial litigator and "Top 40 Under 40" intellectual property lawyer recognized by the National Black Lawyers association. A child of immigrants from Jamaica, West Indies, Kamanta  received her JD from Cornell Law School and Bachelor's Degree, cum laude from New York University. Kamanta  handles complex commercial disputes. Across a broad range of industries, including aeronautics finance and software engineering. In addition, she is a passionate trademark attorney who helps clients in the fashion, retail and beauty industries protect their brand assets. She is currently a Senior Attorney at Arent Fox Schiff. 

Sometimes a passion can be your life's work.  For this week's guest, fashion has always had a unique place in her mission and allowed her to design her own pathway into bridging it with the legal industry. 

Ashley N. Cloud founded The Cloud Law Firm, PLLC to educate and empower creative business owners with the tools and resources to establish and build their empires. 

She comes from a long bloodline of entrepreneurs ranging from the beauty industry to the trucking and food industries. Ashley graduated from Howard University with her law degree and Master's of Business Administration in supply chain management in 2016. While at Howard, Ashley worked to educate the local and broader community on fashion law as co-chair of Fashion Law Week and co-founder and president of the Fashion Law Society. Shortly after graduating from Howard, Ashley served as an Assistant Attorney General in the District of Columbia Office of Consumer Protection. There, Ashley advised local and national businesses on their marketing and advertising practices. 

Ashley's passion for supporting entrepreneurs, led her to serve as an attorney for the U.S. Small Business Administration. The first Black and highest ranked attorney to serve in her office as founder and managing attorney of The Cloud Law Firm PLLC, Ashley has successfully represented fashion and lifestyle brands before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. 

She has also negotiated numerous partnership deals on behalf of her clients. Ashley has also assisted our clients in navigating the complicated process of receiving funding and support from the federal government. Ashley speaks on numerous topics, including business formation and development, intellectual property protection, diversity in fashion, cultural appropriation, supply chain management and resources for creative entrepreneurs. Ashley is licensed to practice law in the state of New York, the District of Columbia, and is awaiting bar admission to her home state of Texas. 

When you first think about immigration law, the creative lives of artists and other innovators may not be the first thing that comes to mind. But for this week’s guest, her mission is to “serve artists and creative professionals by helping them secure artists visas, cement their brands, and monetize their artistry.”

Elektra B. Yao, Esq. is the founder and principal attorney at Yao Law Group law firm dedicated to international and domestic artists.Elektra earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Arts from Marymount Manhattan College in NYC, one of the top art schools in the nation. During her undergraduate university career, Elektra wrote, directed, and produced two documentaries (N*gga What? and The Choking Game) which were screened in Texas and New York City.

Elektra is a very active attorney and is a member of The American Immigration Lawyers Association, Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyer Association, and The New York City Bar Association, where she is a member of several committees.

As a multicultural attorney, with immigrant parents from Italy and Cote D’Ivoire, Elektra is fully fluent in French, Italian, and Spanish. She has lived, studied, and worked internationally in the US, the EU, and Africa. Not only does she understand the language her clients speak, she understands the cultural and artistic landscape of where they come from.

Elektra has successfully represented record labels, modeling agencies, production companies, individual artists, and creatives. Check out more on Elektra at yaolawgroup.com.

Living life out loud and in multiple capacities is not very common in the legal field. However, when you are a mother, strategist, sustainability advocate and attorney, you forge your own pathway.

Whitney McGuire. Esq. is a mother, a New York state licensed attorney, legal and sustainability consultant & strategist, and co-founder of Sustainable Brooklyn, an organization that disrupts the whitewashing of sustainability in order to concretize equity in the sustainability movement. With more than a decade of experience in law and sustainability, she is a pioneer in the field of fashion law and a fierce advocate for the sustainability of communities first and most impacted by environmental and social degradation. In 2013, after graduating law school at the Catholic University of America - Columbus School of Law, Whitney opened her own law firm to support the sustainability of primarily BIPOC artists and fashion designers. Whitney has held positions in fashion lobbying, the U.S. federal judiciary, various fashion-oriented for profit and non-profit companies, and in law firms. In addition to her work as a mother, attorney and sustainability strategist, Whitney is a co-founder of the record label swiMMMers ear with her husband, multi-disciplinary artist, Nelson Nance. Whitney received her undergraduate degree in English and Africana Studies from The George Washington University.

P.S. This is our final episode of the season, so continue to follow us on social media to get updates on when the new episodes for Season 2 will premiere!