The International Women’s Insolvency and Restructuring Confederation (IWIRC) announced two influential woman have been named IWIRC’s 2012 “Woman of the Year in Restructuring”— Mitsue Aizawa of Bingham Tokyo and Corinne Ball of Jones Day.

IWIRC inaugurated the “Woman of the Year in Restructuring” award in 2006 in recognition of women’s lifetime achievements and women who have and continue to make, extraordinary contributions to the practice of reorganizations and corporate turnarounds.

With a notable career spanning more than 30 years, Mitsue Aizawa of Bingham Tokyo, has earned the reputation as one of Japan’s top insolvency lawyers. Throughout her esteemed career, Aizawa has acted as counsel and/or trustee in some of Japan’s largest and most complicated insolvencies. Aizawa currently serves as deputy managing partner of Bingham Tokyo and provides strategic advice to major corporations in M&A and restructuring transactions.

Aizawa was the managing partner and co-founder of New Tokyo International, a prominent Japanese law firm established in 1985. About five years ago, she made the bold and impactful decision to combine New Tokyo International into a foreign law joint enterprise with Sakai and Mimura and Bingham McCutchen. Since then, Bingham Tokyo has been recognized numerous times by various organizations, including “2012 Japanese Firm of the Year for financial restructuring” by Asian Legal Business and has been honored by Chambers Asia for four years in a row, with a top-tier ranking for restructuring and insolvency in Japan.

With more than 30 years of experience in business finance and restructuring, Corrine Ball has been on the forefront of leading legal teams involved in restructuring large public companies. Currently, co-head of the New York Office's Business Restructuring & Reorganization Practice of Jones Day, Ball has orchestrated various complex reorganizations involving companies, such as Axcelis Technologies, Kaiser Aluminum and Oceans Casino Cruise Lines, among others. Her extensive background includes a focus on complex corporate reorganizations and distressed acquisitions, both court-supervised and extra judicial.

In addition to her impressive experience, Ball has been recognized by various organizations for her expertise, including being named "Dealmaker of the Year" by The American Lawyer and one of "The Decade's Most Influential Lawyers" by The National Law Journal. From mentoring restructuring lawyers throughout the country, to her sustained commitment for the equality and advancement of women, Ball has made a significant impact throughout her career.

“IWIRC is proud to honor and recognize both of these talented, committed and successful women who are the forefront of their industry and who have made extraordinary contributions to the bankruptcy and restructuring community,” said Jennifer Meyerowitz, chair of IWIRC.

IWIRC is committed to the connection, promotion and growth of women in insolvency and restructuring professions worldwide. Since 1994, IWIRC has been connecting women worldwide through a global membership of more than 1000 attorneys, bankers, corporate-turnaround professionals, financial advisors and other restructuring practitioners. The organization provides its members with relationship-building, educational, career enhancement and promotional opportunities.