Britney Spears' mom speaks out: Lynne Spears petitions court to allow daughter to choose her own lawyer in conservatorship battle

Britney Spears’ mother, Lynne Spears, recently filed a petition in Los Angeles County Court requesting to allow the pop star to have her own attorney. She told the court that the circumstances have largely changed since the start of the conservatorship.

She mentioned that the singer is now able to take care of herself. Britney Spears’ conservatorship began in 2008 following two episodes of the pop star’s mental breakdown in public. The court order gave Britney’s father, Jamie Spears, complete control over her professional and personal life.

According to Buzzfeed News, Lynne Spears’ petition says:

"Now, and for the past many years, [Britney Spears] is able to care for her person and in fact has, inside of the parameters of this conservatorship, earned literally hundreds of millions of dollars as an international celebrity."

On June 23rd, 2021, Britney Spears was finally allowed to speak directly at the court. In the speech, she termed the conservatorship as “abusive” and “traumatizing.” She also requested the court for a new lawyer, seeking permission to hire an attorney of her own choice:

“I’ve grown a personal relationship with Sam, my lawyer, I’ve been talking to him like three times a week now, we’ve kind of built a relationship but I haven’t really had the opportunity by my own self to actually handpick my own lawyer by myself. And I would like to be able to do that.”

In the latest petition, Lynne Spears has backed the pop icon’s request:

"This motion to appoint private counsel is of the utmost importance and may very well impact each and every of the other requests submitted by [Britney] in her live testimony. Clearly [Britney] needs private counsel to advise her as to her basic rights in this conservatorship."

The petition from Spears’ mom comes after her longtime lawyer, Samuel Ingham III, decided to resign from the ongoing case. The request for resignation came right after the “Toxic” hitmaker’s revealing speech regarding the conservatorship.

Lawyer Sam Ingham has been involved in the case ever since the beginning of the conservatorship. Reports suggest that Loeb and Loeb, the firm associated with Ingham, have also filed for resignation.

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Lynne Spears’ role in Britney Spears’ conservatorship

Britney Spears’ father, Jamie Spears, has always been in the limelight due to the longstanding conservatorship battle with the singer. However, critics have repeatedly questioned her mother’s absence in the situation.

Although Lynne Spears was an active part of Britney’s life when she skyrocketed to fame, the author later moved away from the spotlight. It was in 2019 that Lynne first appeared in court, filing a request to be a part of the conservatorship.

Several reports claim that Lynne requested to be a part of a trust that holds the majority of Britney’s valuable assets. Although the court rejected the plea, Lynne filed another petition to be updated on all “special notices” related to the conservatorship.

During last month's public hearing, Britney Spears revealed that she was compelled to have therapies, take medications, and work against her own wishes as a part of the conservatorship. She mentioned that it even restricted her from getting married and expanding her family.

She further expressed her wish to sue her family as they reportedly did not stand by her side during the critical situation. The singer even added that everything under the conservatorship happened with her father’s permission.

In response to Britney's address, Lynne Spears’ attorney, Gladstone Jones, previously informed the court that she had expressed concerns about her daughter’s situation. Jones also requested that the court grant Britney's requested freedom from the 13-year long conservatorship.

The latest petition from Lynne Spears strengthened her previous pleas. However, it remains to be seen if she holds the legal right to file for such requests.

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Britney Spears’ co-conservator requests a new attorney for the singer

Britney Spears’ revelation has resulted in several significant resignations from the team. In addition to Sam Ingham, Bessemer Trust, the court-appointed firm that looked after the singer’s finances, also filed for resignation.

The resignations came days after the Grammy Award winner’s manager, Larry Rudolph, stepped down from his role. Rudolph has been associated with Spears ever since her “Baby One More Time” debut.

However, the manager reportedly claimed not to be in touch with Britney Spears after her temporary hiatus from the industry. Meanwhile, Spears’ co-conservator Jody Montgomery also filed a request asking for a new attorney for the singer.

The petition was filed the same day as Lynne Spears’ request. Montgomery also asked the court to hold an advance hearing on July 8, 2021, to discuss Britney’s request for a lawyer of her choice.

According to Vulture, Montgomery’s lawyer, Lauriann Wright, said providing Spears with a new lawyer is beyond Montgomery’s capability:

“While Ms. Montgomery is always driven to help Ms. Spears in whatever way she can, there is no question that Ms. Montgomery’s input on Ms. Spears’ counsel is beyond her powers as the Conservator of the Person and is inappropriate in light of Ms. Spears’ recent criticisms of her conservatorship. Nonetheless, Ms. Montgomery has heard her words and wants to honor her wishes.”

Following the latest hearing, Britney Spears reportedly left for a Hawaii vacation with her boyfriend, Sam Asghari. The next conservatorship hearing is slated to take place on July 14, 2021.

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