When bankruptcy attorney Natalie Sawyer walks into meetings with bankruptcy law colleagues or opposing counsel, she’s typically the youngest person in the room, and often the only woman present. But even in the first few years of her career, Sawyer says she’s seen larger numbers of young women enter the profession – aided by networking groups such as the International Women Insolvency and Restructuring Confederation (IWIRC), of which Sawyer is New England co-chair.

What’s more, as the turbulent economic landscape has forced more businesses and individuals to financially restructure, it has also raised the profile of the legal profession that handles their problems. In Sawyer’s case, it has made the job change substantially in only a few short years.

Natalie Sawyer

Title: Bankruptcy Attorney

Company: Hanify & King, Boston

Age: 31

Experience: Joined firm in 2005

Bankruptcy law is mostly male-dominated. Did that make it tougher to get acclimated to the profession, to prove yourself to your colleagues or face down the opposition?

The women professionals [in bankruptcy law] are so good about mentoring and educating so that you have a comfort level. I would certainly say that I’m one of the younger practitioners, there’s no question about that. I think that what it comes down to is, I can be underestimated for my gender, maybe that happens and I don’t know about it. I could be underestimated for my age, again, maybe that happens and I don’t know about it. But I like to think that if that’s happening [with] counsel on the other side, that it’s only going to happen once. I don’t mean that to sound overdramatic, but if they’re going to under underestimate me, that’s their problem. I’m going to do my job.

So what made you want to get into bankruptcy law in the first place?

It’s a really diverse practice. So [whereas] when I went to law school and may have thought that I liked a particular area of corporate law, but I didn’t necessarily want to do that every single day – we see everything in bankruptcy. I do things that would often be considered corporate work. Our team here at Hanify & King does an awful lot of complex bankruptcy litigation, which can involve a whole host of areas and issues. I get to help people, which sounds cheesy, but you’re helping people at their greatest time of need.

Do you expect more young people to get into the business?

It wouldn’t surprise me. It’s something that’s been in the news, that’s been in the forefront of people’s minds. I‘m sure it’s generated a lot of interest for young lawyers. It is something, however, that’s a very specialized field, that has a very specialized court, very specialized rules, very specialized code.

So what do you expect your firm’s bankruptcy practice to see in 2010?

As we’re coming to the end of 2009, it has been extremely busy. I don’t see that changing in 2010. The fact of the matter is that over the courts of the last year, business bankruptcies have become more complex because … companies are still going to be facing problems with finding the funds that they need to restructure.

Has the economy changed how you do your work?

The practice has changed over the last four and some years, and that’s been part of the economy. When I came here the economy was doing quite well – that’s not to say there wasn’t still the need for businesses to restructure – but that was the landscape. As a year or so went by … the economy stopped doing quite so well, and we got busier. But I think what I’ve found this year and looking forward into next year is that bankruptcy is really a trailing factor, and what I mean by that is, even as we start to see little glimmers of hope for the economy in general, that doesn’t mean that all the companies’ problems are going to go away. There are good companies that have done their best for two-plus years now, under very challenging circumstances, to continue their businesses. And at some point they run out of options to keep going.

Any particular funding sources that have been more tight than usual?

There have been problems certainly with traditional banks, [and] certainly venture money has become much more challenging. That’s not to say that there’s no money out there, but it’s been much more challenging to get.

Top Five Facts about IWIRC:

1. The organization provides the opportunity to meet peers from around the country and globe.
2. Networking contacts prove invaluable for sharing information about other bankruptcy districts.
3. It offers a chance to meet local peers as well as officials such as trustees and judges.
4. The group includes accountants, consultants and other women in financial restructuring industries.
5. New England’s membership stands at 75, with many more non-members who attend occasional events.