Her Story
About Kareema
Kareema Scott is a Staff Attorney at the Women's Bar Foundation of Massachusetts, where she is part of a legal team supporting survivors of Intimate Partner Domestic Violence and handling substantive family law matters including divorce, custody, support, and modifications. She holds a Juris Doctor from Boston College Law School and a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School, a combination that grounds her legal advocacy in a deep commitment to community and human dignity. Beyond her staff role, she gives back through monthly teaching at the Suffolk House of Correction and a monthly clinic with the Suffolk Probate and Family Court, extending access to legal knowledge and support to those who need it most.
Kareema is, first and foremost, a proud mother. Her nineteen-year-old daughter attends Yale University and recently returned from a study abroad semester in Madrid, an experience that has brought them even closer as they swap stories, plan beach days together, and settle in for movie nights whenever schedules allow. Kareema often credits the mentors and advisors who shaped her own path, both personally and professionally, and she carries that spirit forward, motivated by a lifelong love of learning and a desire to model resilience and purpose for her daughter.
Outside the courtroom and classroom, Kareema tends to her own well-being with the same intention she brings to her advocacy. Gardening has been a passion of hers for years, an eighth season now spent cultivating crops with a focus on Afro-indigenous plants and foodways, and a practice she describes as a way to disconnect from work and reconnect with the earth's natural rhythms. She pairs this with a dedicated yoga practice, finding that the stillness and movement together help her destress and stay centered amid the demands of legal work, teaching, and motherhood. For Kareema, wellness isn't separate from her mission, it's what sustains her ability to show up fully for her clients, her students, and her family.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Kareema
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to the strength of my family unit. Having a stable, supportive foundation at home has given me the grounding I need to take on the demands of this work. Success, to me, isn't measured only in professional milestones, it's rooted in being a whole person, and my family is what makes that possible.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice I ever received is that there's more time than you think. All the things you want to do in your career and your life, you don't have to rush them or measure your timeline against anyone else's. Your journey is your own. I've learned to focus on my goals and trust my own pace, rather than comparing myself to where I think I "should" be.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Network, network, network. Don't be afraid to show up, whether that's a bar association event or any other gathering in your field. Introduce yourself, tell people who you are, and be genuinely curious about their work. That's how you learn about opportunities you'd never find otherwise. I'd also encourage continuing your education, taking legal education courses to stay sharp and current, and staying humble. The moment you think you know it all is the moment you stop growing.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the biggest challenges is emotional: hearing my clients' stories and carrying the weight of what they've been through. It takes a toll, and I've had to learn how to hold space for that without losing myself in it. On a systemic level, the greatest challenge is that there are far more people in need than we have the capacity to help. That gap is something I think about constantly, and it's part of why the pro bono and community work matters so much to me.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Relationships matter more to me than almost anything else. I try to lead with integrity in every connection I build, whether it's with clients, colleagues, or the mentors and reverse mentors who have shaped how I think and grow. Family, community, friends, these are the relationships that sustain me. At the end of the day, the work is meaningful because of the people I get to walk alongside, and that's a value I carry into everything I do.
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