Britney Spears attends the Los Angeles premiere of “Once Upon a Time In Hollywood” on July 22, 2019. Reuters/Mario Anzuoni The court overseeing Britney Spears’ guardianship ruled Wednesday that she is free to pick her own lawyer. The news comes three weeks after Spears protested the conservatorship over her finances and personal life that she has been under for a long time. The court hearing on Wednesday focused on Spear’s court-appointed lawyer, Samuel D. Ingham III, who has been handling the celebrity’s case since 2008. Judge Brenda Penny of the Los Angeles County Superior Court accepted Ingham’s departure and Spear’s replacement, Mathew Rosengart. Rosengart is a well-known Hollywood attorney who has served as a federal prosecutor. He is anticipated to be more active in his efforts to have Spear’s 13-year conservatorship lifted. A resignation letter from Loeb & Loeb, a law firm that Ingham had recently hired to assist him, was also accepted by the judge. Spears sought the court last month to be allowed to choose her own counsel, claiming that Ingham had not informed her of her right to terminate her conservatorship. The music artist has stated that she wants to be free of her guardianship and recover her independence, including control over her medical treatment. Spears has accused her father James Spears of abuse in her bid to have the conservatorship lifted, stating that he has profited from the arrangement. These allegations have been officially refuted by James Spears. When James Spears’ health began to fail in 2019, a licensed private fiduciary, Jodi Montgomery, was appointed as a temporary conservator. Montgomery is said to be on board with Spears’ wish to remove the guardianship and is well-liked by the singer. Spears attempted to remove her father from her conservatorship last year, but the court dismissed her motion. Instead, the financial and asset management firm Bessemer Trust was added as a co-conservator. Bessemer Trust has already sought to withdraw from the post, claiming that it was unaware of Spears’ desire to end the conservatorship and that it no longer wants to be part. According to court records, Spears’ net worth is estimated to be over $50 million. That money, according to her father and his counsel, is still open to fraud and manipulation. Spears and her new counsel must show the court that she is capable of being released and making her own financial decisions./n
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