The Britney Spears Saga: Who's Representing Britney Now?

Posted by Matthew Heller

With Britney Spears' battle for her kids having moved into a conservatorship proceeding in probate court, we thought now might be a good time to pause for breath and take stock of the lawyers who have been gainfully employed by her legal troubles.

When Spears petitioned for divorce from Kevin Federline back in the relatively sane days of November 2006, the Century City-based father-daughter team of Dennis and Laura Wasser represented her. They lasted 10 months but stepped down as the custody battle over Spears and Federline's two children began requiring almost daily court appearances. Marci Levine and Mel Goldsman of Freid & Goldsman in Century City then gamely filled in for a couple of days as Spears's counsel before giving way to no fewer than three attorneys from Trope & Trope of Los Angeles -- Sorrell Trope, Anne Kiley and Tara Scott.

All's well, right?

The Trope trio rang in the New Year by filing a motion Jan. 2 to be relieved as counsel. "There has been a breakdown in communications between [Spears] and Trope & Trope making further representation of her interests impossible," they declared. But proving that nothing is impossible, they withdrew the motion and have soldiered on amid Spears's increasingly erratic behavior and two mental health hospitalizations.

Mark Vincent Kaplan of Kaplan & Simon in Century City probably deserves a medal for endurance, having represented Federline in the case since its inception.

In the conservatorship proceeding, Trope & Trope is working with estate lawyer Adam Streisand (yes, Barbra's second cousin) of Loeb & Loeb in Los Angeles. A court commissioner has appointed another lawyer -- the perhaps appropriately named Andrew Wallet of Hinojosa and Wallet in Los Angeles -- as co-conservator of Spears's estate with her father.

Exhausted yet?

UPDATED: Sorrell Trope filed papers again Feb. 8 seeking to be relieved as Spears's divorce counsel. "Hopefully they will find someone to replace us," he told PEOPLE. "I'm not at liberty to say more at this time."

UPDATED: Streisand will not be representing Spears in the conservatorship case. His law firm said today in a statement: “At the request of Britney Spears, Adam Streisand, a Partner at Loeb & Loeb LLP, met with her yesterday to discuss her legal rights in connection with the conservatorship over her person and estate. Following that meeting, Mr.Streisand learned that the court had issued orders that prevent Ms. Spears from retaining counsel of her own choosing, and on that basis, Mr.Streisand has decided he will not represent her at this time.”