Chrysler bankruptcy lawyer oversees juggling act

By Chelsea Emery

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Corinne Ball, the charismatic and hard-charging lead bankruptcy attorney for Chrysler, is likely finding every one of her negotiating skills pushed to its limit this week.

As the U.S. automaker wobbles on the verge of bankruptcy, Ball and her team of Jones Day attorneys are rushing to facilitate compromises between bondholders, the U.S. government and Italian car maker Fiat SpA (FIA.MI) before the April 30 deadline set by the U.S. government.

"There's a lot going on here that you don't have in a normal bankruptcy case -- political considerations, labour unions concerned about precedent, virtually every community in the country impacted by a meltdown," said Albert Togut of Togut, Segal & Segal. "She's dealing with the world."

There are few people who could manage the competing interests of such a massive and complicated case, bankruptcy experts said, adding that handling the possible collapse of a U.S. automaker demands a rare mix of sharp intelligence and social acumen.

"It requires a certain charisma," said Robert Profusek, head of Jones Day mergers and acquisitions practice. "When everyone is jockeying to have their point of view expressed, who do people stop and listen to? She's a very charismatic personality."

Ball declined to comment.

Ball, 55, has worked on immensely complicated bankruptcies before, including the Chrysler workout in the 1980s and heading the bankruptcy of investment firm Drexel Burnham Lambert. More recently, she led a team of more than 100 Jones Day attorneys to restructure Dana Corp (DAN.N), which emerged from bankruptcy in 2008.

"Corinne is one of those sort of alarmingly creative and aggressive thinkers who can bring imagination and personality to bankruptcy law," said Todd Snyder, a managing director in the restructuring group at investment bank Rothschild Inc.