Celebrity Divorce Blog | MyFamilyLaw » trope and trope

Shaq Divorce Settles

K. McKinney — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 02:59:23 +0000

Basketball superstar Shaquille O’Neal and his estranged wife, Shaunie O’Neal, have reportedly settled their divorce. Shaunie’s divorce attorney, Sorrell Trope, says that the former couple has reached an agreement on all aspects of the split – division of property, child custody and child support.

Under the agreement, the Florida courts actually divorce the couple, who lived together in Miami for several years before their split several months ago. The Florida judge will also handle any issues that may arise involving property division and spousal support.

The California courts though will have jurisdiction over any issues related to child custody.

Shaunie filed for legal separation in California back in November, 2009, just a few days after moving to Los Angeles with the couple’s four kids. Shaq then filed a motion to preclude the case from being heard in California.

Divorces, like other lawsuits, must comply with the jurisdictional requirements of the state and county in which they are filed – or face dismissal. There is generally a residency requirement which at least one party must meet before any state’s court can issue a valid judgment of dissolution. In California, that requirement is six months.

Separate from the divorce jurisdictional requirements, parents must also show the court that it has proper jurisdiction to make an initial determination of child custody under the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act. It appears that, because Shaunie intends to reside with the children in California, the parties agreed that custody matters would be retained there.

The O’Neals married in L.A. in December, 2002. Three of their four children were born in California. The family lived in Florida from 2004 until last November. Shaq currently plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers but the family apparently never moved to Cleveland.

Shaq previously filed for divorce from Shaunie in Miami back in 2007, but the two reconciled and that case was dismissed last year.

Sorrell Trope of the law firm Trope and Trope has handled countless celebrity divorces and family law matters, including those of Nicolas Cage, Anna Nicole Smith, Nicole Kidman and Britney Spears.

Library Topics: divorce, legal separation, child custody, child support, division of property, divorce attorney, settlement agreement, spousal support, Florida family law, California family law

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Britney Gets Overnight Visits with Kids, Rehires Lawyer

K. McKinney — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 21:35:08 +0000

Britney Spears and Kevin Federline were back in court in Los Angeles this morning, discussing the visitation schedule of their two young sons, Sean and Jayden. Reportedly, Spears was awarded overnight visitation with the boys after the court heard testimony from the court-appointed parenting coach/evaluator. The children had been in the sole custody of Federline since Spears’ psychiatric hospitalization early this year. Spears had very limited, supervised visitation for quite some time following her release from the hospital. That visitation was expanded about six weeks ago to three full days a week, supervised.

Another happening of note in the Spears-Federline saga, super-divorce-lawyer-to-the-stars Laura Wasser has re-entered her appearance in the case on Spears’ behalf. It was Wasser who successfully negotiated the original joint custody agreement during the initial divorce proceeding almost a year ago. As Spears’ strange behavior escalated in the late summer and early fall of 2007, Wasser withdrew from the case.

Reports indicated that she did so because Spears would not listen to her advice. Wasser was followed ever so briefly by attorney Mel Goldsman at Freid and Goldsman. He was followed by lawyers Sorrell Trope and Ann Kiley of Trope and Trope. Most recently, Spears has been represented by Stacy Phillips of Phillips Lerner Lauzon & Jamra. The reappearance of Wasser is seen as an indication that Spears – assisted by her father and conservator Jamie Spears – is generally more stable than in the recent past. It is unlikely that Wasser would have agreed to rejoin the Spears camp if she did not believe that the previous communications problems had been resolved.

Federline has been represented by attorney Mark Vincent Kaplan since the divorce case began.

Top Celebrity Divorce Lawyers in Los Angeles

Monica — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 20:31:30 +0000

When celebrities are getting divorced, involved in a paternity suit or are seeking a prenup they often turn to what are recognized as the biggest celebrity divorce attorneys in Los Angeles.

The majority of big divorce, paternity, and child custody cases are kept under the radar. But when a case goes public, the high powered family lawyers handling celebrity cases can get nearly as much press as their famous clients. High net worth individuals, and celebrities in particular, need an attorney who is not only an expert in the field of family law, but who is familiar with the judges in the Los Angeles Superior Court, and who can keep their divorce out of the tabloids and as low key as possible.

What follows is a list of the top celebrity divorce attorneys in Los Angeles and some of their more famous clients:

The Cream of the Crop
The Undisputed Top Celebrity Divorce Law Firms

Trope & Trope: Practicing law since 1949, Sorrell Trope’s firm has handled cases for Anna Nicole Smith, Nicolas Cage and Britney Spears.
Wasser, Cooperman and Carter: This firm’s top lawyers are the father-daughter team of Dennis and Laura Wasser. They have represented Stevie Wonder, Angelina Jolie, Nick Lachey, Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin, Britney Spears, and billionaire Kirk Kerkorian. In late 2007 Laura Wasser was forced to fire Britney as a client citing a breakdown in communication.
Freid and Goldsman: With combined experience of over 75 years, Manley Freid and Mel Goldsman have represented David Hasselhoff, Coleman Laffoon (Anne Heche’s ex), Rene Elizondo (Janet Jackson’s ex) and the estate of Ray Charles. They also had a very brief stint representing Britney Spears. Other notable partners from this firm include Marci Levine and Jon Summers.
Jaffe and Clemens: This Beverly Hills 10 attorney firm, led by Dan Jaffe, has represented Anne Heche and Titanic director James Cameron.
Kaufman and Young: Robert Kaufman, a New York native, established this firm in 2001, which has represented Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Simpson, Roseanne Barr and Reese Witherspoon.
Hersh Mannis & Bogen: This well respected law firm, founded by Neal Hersh, has represented Pamela Anderson, Kim Basinger, Halle Berry, Denise Richards and Brad Pitt.

Honorable Mention
These Firms Have Also Handled Their Share of High-Profile Cases

Nachshin & Weston: Represented Oscar de la Hoya (handled by partner Goldie Schon), and Scary Spice (aka: Mel B), as well as baseball great Barry Bonds.
Kaplan & Simon: This firm’s lead partner, Mark Kaplan, has represented Kevin Federline (Britney Spears’ ex) and Cris Judd (Jennifer Lopez’ ex).
Kolodney & Anteau: Stephen Kolodny has represented Superman Returns producer Jon Peters and Lisa Bonder Kerkorian in her child support and paternity case against billionaire Kirk Kerkorian.