Our Story
Discover the journey of LawyHer, from its origins and development to the inspiration driving its mission. Learn about our history and the personal stories that fueled our commitment to empowering women in law.
How it started
LawyHer began as an Instagram page dedicated to sharing advice and insights with aspiring lawyers. As the community quickly grew, it became clear that there was a significant need for accessible, practical guidance in navigating the law school admissions process.
Recognizing this demand, we took the next step—transforming LawyHer from a social media platform into a nonprofit organization. Our initiatives, including personal statement review events that assisted over 150 individuals and weekly coffee chats with pre-law students, demonstrated our capability to make a meaningful impact on a larger scale.
Today, LawyHer stands as a testament to the power of community and mentorship. We are committed to empowering the next generation of women in law by providing the resources, guidance, and support they need to succeed. Our journey from a simple Instagram page to a thriving nonprofit underscores our dedication to lifting others as we climb.
Our Team
Hadiyah Cummings
Founder & Executive Director
Hadiyah Cummings is the visionary founder and Executive Director of LawyHer, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering women of color in the legal profession. Despite facing long odds, Hadiyah’s journey began with an unexpected acceptance to Yale Law School, an achievement that defied conventional expectations and set the stage for her future work.
A proud graduate of Howard University with degrees in Political Science and Criminology, Hadiyah honed her expertise in law school admissions as a student in Yale Law School’s Access to Law School clinic, where she developed a specialty in personal statement writing. Her role as a two-time Pre-Law Director for the Northeast Region of the National Black Law Students Association further solidified her commitment to helping others navigate the complexities of the law school application process.
The Team Driving Change
Meet the passionate team behind LawyHer, dedicated to driving change and advancing our mission of empowering women in law. Each member brings a unique perspective and skill set, working together to foster authenticity, diversity, and inclusion in the legal field. Together, we're committed to supporting the next generation of women lawyers as they pursue their careers with confidence and purpose.
Eriele M. Tellis is a south-side Chicago native. She is an Associate at Cleary Gottlieb LLP and an alumna of Gwendolyn Brooks College Preparatory Academy, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Yale Law School.
At Illinois, Eriele was the president of the student organization, Women of Color, where she orchestrated three campus-wide conferences focusing on uplifting, educating, and uniting women of color on campus and in the community. Using this platform, she pioneered the initiative Sister to Sister, which strives to bridge the gap between the campus and the surrounding communities by providing educational resources and mentoring to young girls.
Eriele graduated Summa Cum Laude and received accolades including admission into Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society, the Department of Education’s Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship, and earned her place on the Bronze Tablet, the University of Illinois most prestigious academic award honoring the top 3% of graduating seniors. Outside of academia, she was awarded the Alumna of the Year award by the Polished Pebbles Girls Mentoring Program which honors an alumna for her valuable and sustained contribution to community service.
Following her undergraduate education, she continued to explore her passion for leadership by interning in the Office of the Chief Executive Officer at the Barack H. Obama Foundation working on projects such as the annual Barack Obama Foundation Summit. After her tenure at the Obama Foundation, Eriele began her J. William Fulbright grant in Southern Italy where she taught high school students American culture and English.
In Spring of 2023, Eriele graduated from Yale Law school, where she strove to use her legal education to practice at the intersection of business and law while uplifting her community. She was a student lawyer in the Yale Entrepreneurship and Innovation Clinic and the Access to Law School Program. At YLS, Eriele served as the Co-President of the First-Generation Professionals, the Community Engagement Chair of the Black Law Students Association and the Graduate and Professional Student Senate. Eriele was also awarded the Khalid Lum Award for Outstanding Commitment to the Mission & Legacy of the Yale Afro-American Cultural Center.
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Eriele M. Tellis, Esq.
Director of Fellows and Pre-law
OUR
VALUES
We provide the tools, resources, and mentorship needed to empower the next generation of legal professionals. Our goal is to help every LawyHer, regardless of their background, to not only enter the legal profession but to thrive within it.
EMPOWERMENT
INCLUSIVITY
We are committed to creating a community that embraces and supports all individuals, including women, nonbinary individuals, and other marginalized groups in the legal field. We believe that diverse perspectives strengthen our collective work and enrich the profession as a whole.
COMMUNITY
We believe in the power of community and the importance of lifting others as we climb. LawyHer is more than a nonprofit—it’s a network of support, encouragement, and shared success.
We are dedicated to addressing systemic barriers within the legal profession. By advocating for diversity and inclusion, we work to create equitable opportunities for all, ensuring that the legal field reflects the communities it serves.
EQUITY
AUTHENTICITY
We encourage our members to bring their full, authentic selves to the table. At LawyHer, there is no need to conform to outdated standards; instead, we celebrate the unique contributions that each person brings to the legal profession.
LEADERSHIP
We believe in cultivating leaders who are not only skilled and knowledgeable but also compassionate and driven by a sense of justice. LawyHer equips its members to be change-makers in their communities and within the legal profession.
OUR
SUPPORTERS &
PARTNERS.
We collaborate with a diverse range of organizations and individuals who share our mission of empowering women in law. Together with our partners, we work towards creating a more inclusive and equitable legal industry.
