Nneoma Maduike

Of Counsel, Otterbourg P.C.

Biography:

Nneoma is an attorney in Otterbourg’s nationally recognized banking and finance practice. Nneoma represents financial institutions in all aspects of financing transactions. She has established herself with the firm’s clients as an essential and indispensable member of their legal team and brings to her legal practice the ability to formulate and maintain lasting client relationships.

Within the firm, Nneoma has a particular focus in enhancing Otterbourg’s role as a leader in diversity and, through her efforts, Otterbourg was one of the founding member firms of the New York chapter of the Coalition of Women’s Initiatives in Law, a non-profit focused primarily on advancing the recruitment, retention and promotion of women lawyers.

Nneoma has been recognized in Best Lawyers in America as one of the top 15 Women of Influence in America and is a winner of the 2017 Secured Finance Network 40 under 40 Awards. Nneoma serves as the president of the Coalition of Women’s Initiatives in Law – New York and is also a member of its Board of Directors. Nneoma is passionate about ensuring access to legal services and, in partnership with various non-profit organizations, has provided pro bono legal services to victims of domestic violence.

What advice would you offer to women just starting out in the industry?

First, develop mentoring relationships and network with people who have different backgrounds and ideas because that is a proven way to get access to different opportunities and gain new perspectives. For instance, men traditionally and ultimately have access to more (and often better) opportunities than women; therefore, by developing these networks and studying their paths shall in turn lead you to success.

Second, recognize that you are in the room because you have the qualifications to be in that room and you undoubtedly have all the skills you need to be successful in our industry. Therefore, being confident in yourself, playing to your strengths, and not conforming to what you believe is the mold would guarantee success in whatever career path you take.

Third, set a goal (or goals) for yourself and your career and define what you want your brand to be. This can be a constantly evolving target but focusing on your goal and brand keeps you encouraged even in moments of doubt and allows you to re- member why you do what you do and what matters to you. After all, all the expertise in

Fourth, avoid comparing your worth and accomplishments to those of others. The accomplishments of others should only serve as examples from which you can pick and learn.

Finally, be a cheerleader and source of support and encouragement to the women around you. Collaborate with those women you admire and hope to emulate.

What do you know now that you wish you knew in the beginning of your career?

In the beginning of my career, I wish I under- stood the value of networking and how to leverage networks to grow professionally and even personally. The more I networked as a younger professional, the less intimidating the prospect would have been for me. I would have benefited greatly from an earlier start to building business-related connections and learning how to use the resources that come naturally with developing professional and personal networks.

What kind of role has mentoring and/or sponsorship played in your career?

Mentorship and sponsorship have been essential to my career growth. I have had the opportunity to work with incredible invested in the growth of my career and provided guidance and encouragement, both in connection with practice development and career development. The faith and encouragement of each of my mentors and sponsors pushed me to take on challenges that I would ordinarily not have considered.

What do you think the industry could do to attract and retain the best and the brightest today?

The bigger challenge our industry faces is retaining the best and brightest. It would not, however, take much for the companies in our industry to prove a commitment to investing in its talent, integrating them and promoting them, and, most importantly, ensuring that its talent knows that the company is invested in their growth and long- term development. Whether it is through the creation of training, development, and mentorship programs, institution of flexible schedules, or a greater commitment to diversity, I firmly believe that the retention of the industry’s best and brightest is not an insurmountable challenge and a good part of the solution lies in the willingness of companies to evolve.