Saturday, July 24th, 2021
Special Edition: Conservatorships, #FreeBritney & Beyond
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Today we’re talking about the #FreeBritney movement. It’s a lot more than just a hashtag. Popstar Britney Spears has been wrapped up in a legal battle over her conservatorship for a while now and new developments have been coming out every week. The conservatorship is an arrangement that’s given Britney’s father, Jamie, along with a licensed “conservator” control over her finances and other parts of her life since 2008. That arrangement was originally put in place because of concerns over Britney’s mental health and alleged drug use.
But in the last few weeks, Britney has spoken in court. She says she's been exploited and bullied by the conservatorship for years. She says she’s been overworked without any breaks, forcibly medicated with lithium and kept from having more children. And she wants control over her life back. This whole saga has opened many people’s eyes to conservatorships for the first time and sparked a lot of conversations about personal freedoms.
Today we’re talking to family law attorney Christopher Melcher, who has been following Britney’s case closely. He explains why conservatorships exist, how they work and his takeaways from the Britney Spears case.
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Guest: Christopher Melcher
Christopher Melcher is a partner at family law firm Walzer Melcher LLP. Business owners, celebrities, and trust beneficiaries across California turn to Chris for assistance protecting their most valuable assets in high-stakes divorces. With deep experience in complex family law litigation and premarital agreements, Chris provides tactical representation in the most challenging family law disputes.
His clients include A-list celebrities, executives, and tech company founders. Frequently, he is hired by other family lawyers as a consultant, expert, or co-counsel on significant divorce cases in California. Chris says his passion is helping others and that he loves the law. His father was a trial lawyer and Chris says he learned not only how to be a lawyer from him, but what it means to be a lawyer.
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