E126: Zakariyya Allen 2L at Widener Delaware Law and Founder of Balancing the Scales

Zak is a 2L at Widener Delaware Law, and currently works as the Founder of Balancing the Scales. Zak’s journey is a testament to not only taking opportunities, but making your own! Zak and I start prior to his arrival to Delaware Law, where Zak would participate in fascinating Pre-Law programs, being Eversheds Sutherland Scholar, as well as an Afro Scholar at Kirkland Ellis. These experiences would lay the foundations for his interest in Law School, as well as what he would want to do in the future, as they touched on all areas of the Law, with a wealth of experience. We then moved to Zak’s first year of Law School, where it was extremely difficult but by leveraging the mentors and connections from the Pre-Law programs it allowed him to get a better understanding of the material. Zak would key in on how vital setting and sticking to your expectations and goals is in terms of grades. Zak would be in the top of his class, and they directly aligned to the action steps he was taking. During spring semester of his 1L year, after finding a lack of resources for pre-law and law students alike, Zak would take the initiative and found Balancing the Scales, a passion project and brainchild of Zak as he sought to "level the playing field" by increasing access to information and resources for diverse and first-generation law students. Through webinars, mentorship, networking events, and scholarship opportunities, the Balance The Scales platform is intended to do exactly what its name suggests.Finally, we went through Zak's internships and their impact on his future plans, finding areas that are interesting and intellectually challenging. Zak suggests to those going to Law School and those in it to send emails to professionals and build out a network of veteran lawyers to help and support them through their journey. This episode with Zak further shows how important it is to take the initiative and create opportunities for yourself that will pay dividends for the rest of your life! Zak’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zakariyya-allenBalancing the Scales: https://sites.google.com/view/balancingthescales/homeBe sure to check out the Official Sponsors for the Lawyers in the Making Podcast:Rhetoric - takes user briefs and motions and compares them against the text of opinions written by judges to identify ways to tailor their arguments to better persuade the judges handling their cases. Rhetoric's focus is on persuasion and helps users find new ways to improve their odds of success through more persuasive arguments. Find them here: userhetoric.comThe Law School Operating System™ Recorded Course - This course is for ambitious law students who want a proven, simple system to learn every topic in their classes to excel in class and on exams. Go to www.lisablasser.com, check out the student tab with course offerings, and use code LSOSNATE10 at checkout for 10% off Lisa's recorded course!Start LSAT - Founded by former guest and 21-year-old super-star, Alden Spratt, Start LSAT was built upon breaking down barriers, allowing anyone access to high-quality LSAT Prep. For $110 you get yourself the Start LSAT self-paced course, and using code LITM10 you get 10% off the self-paced course! Check out Alden and Start LSAT at startlsat.com and use code LITM10 for 10% off the self-paced course!Lawyers in the Making Podcast is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Lawyers in the Making Podcast at lawyersinthemaking.substack.com/subscribe