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Women lawyers will battle it out in Madonna divorce
Terry Kirby and Jed Gottlieb in Boston16.10.08
GUY Ritchie is consulting the lawyer who secured Britain's biggest divorce pay-out, the Evening Standard can reveal.
Ritchie is understood to be taking advice from Lady Ward following the break-up of his eight-year marriage to singer Madonna.
Helen Ward is one of the most formidable divorce lawyers in the country, having secured a £48million pay-out for Beverley Charman, the ex-wife of an insurance magnate. The sum given to Mrs Charman is the largest ever awarded by a British court.
Madonna, 50, may now face a battle to keep her £300million fortune and to ensure custody of the couple's two children together Rocco, eight, and David, three, who is adopted.
She has hired Fiona Shackleton to handle the divorce, pitting Britain's two leading female divorce lawyers against each other.
Mrs Shackleton acted for Sir Paul McCartney in his £25million divorce from Heather Mills. Ms Mills was so antagonised by the lawyer she drenched her with water at the end of the High Court case.
Madonna and Ritchie will be anxious to avoid the media circus that followed the McCartney/Mills divorce. Both Mrs Shackleton and Lady Ward are skilled negotiators who are likely to urge their clients to reach a settlement and avoid a court case.
Although Ritchie, 40, is independently wealthy he has an estimated £30million from his earnings as a film director some legal sources have suggested he may be entitled to as much as half of Madonna's money after 10 years together.
Lady Ward, 55, a senior partner at Manches law firm and a part-time judge, is married to Sir Alan Ward, one of the country's most senior judges. According to Manches' website, Lady Ward "specialises in family law, with emphasis on the financial consequences of the breakdown of relationships with particular expertise in cases involving substantial assets, complexity and an international element".
Sources suggest she is particularly adept at protecting the interests of fathers and is said to stress the well-being of the children in settling divorces.
Her success in the Charman case set a new standard for pay-outs. John Charman was ordered to pay his ex-wife Beverley £48million in a ruling that confirmed the "equality principle" should govern the splitting of a couple's assets.
Manches today refused to comment on Lady Ward's appointment.
The prospect of a divorce battle did not seem to affect Madonna who was on stage in Boston last night hours after the split was confirmed. In the first of two shows on her Sweet and Sticky tour, she gave a typically slick performance.
The reasons for the divorce are being aired in stories which quote "friends" of the couple. It is suggested Ritchie wanted "a normal family life" while his wife wanted to "heal the world". Madonna was said to have been unhappy about Ritchie's lack of support for her and is also said to have become much closer to Carlos Leon, the father of her daughter, Lourdes, 12.
Member of the 'magic circle'
Helen Ward, 57, a friend of Tessa Jowell in the “magic circle” of divorce lawyers, lists among her clients Paloma Picasso, Lord Lloyd-Webber, Ian McEwan and David Seaman.
Lady Ward went to fee-paying King Alfred School in Golders Green before Birmingham University. She qualified in 1978, joining Manches, her present law firm, as a partner in 1994.
She said: “Divorce is a discretionary area of law. It's haute couture — a case of measuring up the client as best you can. You need to establish a rapport so you can give unpalatable advice.”
According to Chambers “family comes first”. She and husband Lord Justice Ward were devastated by the death of daughter Amelia, 16, in 2001.
Macca's steely negotiator
Nicknamed the Steel Magnolia, Fiona Shackleton, 52, sprang to prominence acting for Prince Charles in his divorce. She cemented her reputation as a tough negotiator with her handling of Sir Paul McCartney's split from Heather Mills. It is said Sir Paul phoned her night and day for advice while she charged up to £1,000 an hour, earning her firm Payne Hicks Beach as much as £3 million. At leading girls' school Benenden she was not considered particularly academic, and scraped a law degree from Exeter University. Mrs Shackleton began her legal career in her mid-twenties with Farrer & Co, whose clients include the Queen. After the royal divorce Princess Diana sent her flowers as a thank you for “being so civilised”.
Reader views (12)
All the haters, say what you want. Madonna is a strong pioneering part of society, but first and foremost a human being. Its no ones business why the marriage didn't last.
so keep all your snake tongue's in your mouths.
it proves she is doing something right by having so many haters!
i wish her all the luck, and as well for Mr. Ritchie.
let me just remind all of you....Love is a 2 way road. (it takes 2 to make something work)
I personally love her, and she has come a long way in life. and has turned her life around.
- Bridgett, seattle, U.S.A.
Why is everyone comparing them to the McCartney's? Mills went in that marrage with nothing and came out with everything! Madonna only had to blame her sel for her marrage break up! Guy is still young he will be able to get someone much younger and real looking!
Madonna give up and age gracefully you just look really bad and false a bit like your music!
- Nicole, Scotland
I want to thank you Brits for taking Madonut off our hands. She's all yours now!
- Ben Gibson, Jr., Rochester, NY USA
I can stand her. She is so obsessed with herself, I mean take a look, she doesn't look like a woman, she looks like some wrinkled old muscly prune. What happened to the soft feminine look - she's so masculine - yuk! I'm sure Guy will find someone so much nicer than her. She's just so classless and crude.
- Katie, Brisbane, Australia
I cant understand why the public are so anti Madonna and for Guy Ritchie. The same as
I could never understand why people were so anti Heather Mills. I am starting to think its a sexist thing.
- Brian Fast, Sydney Australia
The McCartney divorce started off the same way. Then media hype and simple greed started to devolve the 'amicable divorce' into a mud-slinging match.
While I agree with Helen of Toronto about the last ten years only being considered, it is something that should be true of all divorces. What either party had before their marriage should have nothing to do with the split.
- Rogan, Irving
Madonna is a legend...in HER mind. Guy will do very well without her.
Too bad she can't just age with grace.
- Victoria, Cypress, USA
How much has Madonna made in the last ten years? Give him half of that.
- Helen, Toronto
Thank goodness we may now be spared her phoney estuary accent and Barbour look with complimentary flat cap. Bonne Riddance Madge.
- Jon, London
Madonna's ex-Husband would like to be known as Mr Guy (not-so) Richie
- Adam, Harrow, UK
I still reckon little David would have had a happier life if Madonna coughed up the cash to enable someone in his own African village to adopt him . . .
- Roz, Chamonix, France
Madonna s going the way of Mia Farrow and Angelina Jolie is not far behind. Pity.
- Dhanraj, basildon, essex
