Barbara Niederkofler Profiled in Diversity Journal as One of Its “Women Worth Watching”

Akin Gump investment management partner Barbara Niederkofler has been profiled in Diversity Journal as one of its “Women Worth Watching” for 2020. The women on the list represent “the remarkable progress women have made toward equity over the last 100 years.”

Ms. Niederkofler discusses her passion for mentoring and sponsoring younger women, which she said stems from her first days in the United States. With no command of the English language, it was the unwavering support of family, she said, as well as the “relentless mentorship of teachers” that encouraged her to do her best and seize opportunities. Amid the current pressures of the pandemic, and with the many challenges that women—particularly women of color—face, Ms. Niederkofler said she believes that “mentoring and sponsoring are key for promoting women in the practice of law and for all of us, in fact, to do better.”

As co-chair of the Women’s Firmwide Resource Group at Akin Gump, Ms. Niederkofler said her goal is to help as many women as she can, both within and outside of the firm. She sees it as a duty, she noted, “to pay it forward for the women of the next generation,” as supporting female lawyers in the pipeline will lead to success “in defining a better future.”