‘It’s about time’ Britney Spears be allowed to choose her own lawyer: Trial attorney
Adam Streisand, the trial attorney who represented Britney Spears at outset of conservatorship, provides insight into her case on ‘America’s Newsroom.’
Adam Streisand, the trial attorney who represented Britney Spears at the outset of her conservatorship, is weighing in on her controversial case.
Streisand appeared on "America's Newsroom" on Thursday, one day after the "Toxic" singer, 39, scored a win in court when a judge ruled she can choose her own legal representation as she continues to end her 13-year court order.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny approved Spears' court-appointed attorney Sam Ingham’s resignation and signed off on his replacement of Spears' choosing: Mathew Rosengart, a former federal prosecutor.
"Well it's about time," Streisand reacted on Thursday. "The last 13 years with her court-appointed counsel has been clearly a disaster. Over the past 13 years there have been closed proceedings and I've been very cautious to say, ‘Look, we don’t know. We don't know.'"
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Spears said that she wishes for her father to be removed as conservator. (Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)
"But there's always been a disconnect because somehow she's always been able to function by performing on stage every night at a Vegas show or on tour, co-hosting a television show, and that doesn't really square with what it means to be in a conservatorship," he continued.
Streisand suggested the bombshell testimony Spears delivered in front of Judge Penny at a hearing last month was a turning point. At that hearing, Spears admitted she was never informed by her representation that she could file a request to get out of it and deemed the conservatorship "abusive."
The singer's former attorney then balked at Ingham's previous statements to a judge eight months ago that the singer is "like a comatose patient who can't even sign a piece of paper saying what she wants."
"She blew that out of the water a couple of weeks ago when she finally for the first time was able to appear in court and talk to the judge," he said.
Streisand said Wednesday's hearing proved that Spears may finally be getting some leverage of her own against the conservatorship, which is currently overseen by her father, Jamie Spears, and temporary personal conservator Jodi Montgomery.
"I think now with a new lawyer everything is going to change and we're going to see immediately a petition to terminate this conservatorship – and you wait, we're going to see some lawsuits against people who were involved in this conservatorship," Streisand said.
Britney Spears on Wednesday told a judge she wishes to charge her father Jamie with ‘conservatorship abuse.’ (Getty Images/AP)
Streisand also said Spears' ability to perform on tour and her past appearances on television prove she's more than capable of handling herself and her career without the conservatorship.
"Under law, a conservatorship can't be maintained unless it's the absolute last resort to help somebody who can't help themselves and that just doesn't square. There isn't any way you can convince me now that we've seen her and listened to her, that she hasn't had the ability to function," he said.
Streisand concluded: "You and I can't decide on this program what if any issues she actually has but what we can decide is there's been a tragic miscarriage of justice here because she's never had anyone who's advocated for her. She didn't even know she could seek to terminate this which she could have done in any point in time in the last 13 years. I thin everything now is really gonna change and she's gonna find some liberty and I think these people who've been involved in this conservatorship have got something to worry about."
The pop star scored a victory on Wednesday when a judge ruled she could choose her own attorney following her court-appointed attorney Samuel Ingham III's resignation. (Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)
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On Wednesday, the star broke down in tears as she pleaded for her father to be removed as her conservator and also spoke of the abandonment issues that she faces after growing up "extremely scared" of her dad. She also declared she wants to "press charges" against her father Jamie.
"I’m here to get rid of my dad and charge him with conservatorship abuse," Spears said. The singer went on to say she wants Jamie investigated and that "this conservatorship has allowed my dad to ruin my life."
Additionally, Spears said she "would rather" Montgomery to "stay in place" than have Jamie oversee her estate and well-being again.
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The tension between Jamie and Montgomery has also bubbled up, with the two trading jabs and accusations over Spears' conservatorship.
Fox News' Nate Day contributed to this report.
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