Lynne Spears: Britney Should Be Allowed to Hire Own Lawyer

Britney Spears' mother says that since her daugher has produced multiple albums, gone on tour, and earned hundreds of millions of dollars since the conservatorship arrangement was introduced in 2008, she should no longer be considered incapable of hiring her own lawyer. In a court filing Tuesday—the same day court-appointed lawyer Samuel Ingham III asked for a new lawyer to be appointed—Lynne Spears urged Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny to "listen to the wishes of her daughter" and, "as a first step," allow her to hire her own lawyer, Vanity Fair reports. Britney Spears condemned the arrangement in a bombshell June 23 hearing and said she hadn't been aware she could file to end it.

"Her capacity is certainly different today than it was in 2008, and Conservatee should no longer be held to the 2008 standard, whereby she was found to 'not have the capacity to retain counsel,'" the motion from Lynne Spears stated. Jodi Montgomery, appointed to replace father Jamie Spears as Britney Spears' conservator-of-the-person in 2019, filed a motion Wednesday supporting Spears' right to hire her own lawyer, suggesting the court appoint a temporary "guardian ad litem" to help Spears choose an attorney, NBC reports. Montgomery's filing included text messages she said were from Spears, including one reading: "I need u to stay as my co conservator of person. I'm asking u for ur assistance in getting a new attorney." (Spears' manager is resigning after 25 years.)