FINANCE
10 Ruthless Divorce Attorneys Who Made Their Clients Rich and Happy
Do you always feel it’s the rich and powerful that gets away with the bigger share during a divorce? Not all the time. Below are examples of some cruel divorce lawyers who made the unthinkable happen.
1. William S. Beslow
Political activist, Patricia Duff hired New York attorney William S. Beslow during her divorce procedure from billionaire Ronald Perelman in the late 1990s. The trial got to the headlines as there was too much tension and allegation. In the end, Beslow was able to get to a settlement of $30,000 for his client Patricia.
2. Sandra Davis
Sandra is a highly respected British divorce attorney involved in many high-class divorces in the UK including getting Princess Diana to walk away with a 17 million pounds settlement during her divorce from Prince Charles back in 1996. Sandra got to the headlines yet again when she represented Jerry Hall during her breakup from Mick Jagger, a rock ‘n’ roll legend. Sandra was able to reach a settlement with Jaggers’ lawyers which enabled Jerry Hall to close the trial with a huge sum of $25 million.
3. Earle Lilly
The media went berserk when words broke out that Yankee star Alex Rodriguez and his spouse Cynthia Rodriquez wanted a divorce. Alex, a slugger, has been linked with several beautiful women including Madonna. After a long trial, Earle Lilly was able to negotiate a huge settlement for his client, Cynthia including a lump sum, multimillion-dollar mansion, and monthly child support.
4. Gloria Allred
Gloria who merely started her career as a Philadelphia high school teacher later rose to become one of the most ruthless female lawyers in business. She was able to get her several of her clients with a massive settlement. Examples of people she represented include; Amber Frey, Actress Hunter Tylo, Vanessa Lopez and Rachel Uchitel.
5. Robert Stephan Cohen
Robert Stephen was the lawyer who represented supermodel Christie Brinkley after she filed for divorce from Billy Joel, a music legend, in 1994. Years later, Christie hired Stephan again during the divorce trial of her fourth husband, Peter Cook in 2008. In the end, Stephan was able to prove that Cook was a porn-addicted murderer making Christie retain her life earnings and her properties.
6. Dennis Wasser
Dennis represented the ex-wife of Hollywood superstar Harrison Ford in a heated divorce trial. With Wasser at her side, Melissa Mathison, (Harrison’s ex-wife) was able to walk away with a whopping sum of $118 million as well as future royalties from the movies made by Ford at the time they were married. The movies include Air Force One, The Fugitive, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Witness, and Patriot Games.
7. Donald Schiller
Michael Jordan, the legendary basketball superstar actually ruled every court he entered till he met his match, Donald Schiller. In 2006, Michael Jordan and his wife, Juanita, filed for a divorce in which Juanita immediately hired Shiller. At the end of the trial, Donald Schiller was able to negotiate a huge sum of $168 million including Jordan’s seven-acre estate in Chicago and the custody of the couple’s three children. The trial sent a message to everyone that a prenup doesn’t keep you from getting burned even if you are a legendary superstar.
8. Fiona Shackleton
Fiona Shackleton represented Sir Pual McCartney during his breakup with Heather Mills. Although Mills asked for a settlement of £100 million, Fiona aggressively reduced this asking price to £24.3 million. At the end of the trial, Mills got so pissed that she dumped water over Fiona’s head.
9. Daniel Jaffe
If you feel hopeless going against the most powerful men in the world, then Daniel Jaffe is the man for the job. Jaffe represents Anna Murdoch during her divorce from media mogul Rupert Murdoch in 1998. Despite Rupert’s wealth and power, Jaffe was able to strike a settlement which enabled his client to walk away with a mind-blowing $1.7 billion. However, Rupert, still one of the world’s richest, went on to marry a former employee who is two times younger than him.
10. Sorrell Trope
It’s impossible not to know a thing or two if you have been in the divorce business as long as Sorrell Trope. The legendary attorney has done it in the past with Britney Spears and Nicole Kidman and would most likely do it again with Elin Nordegren. Sorrell aims to represent Nordegren in her upcoming divorce trial with golf master Tiger Woods. Judging from what is at stake, it’s evident that Sorrell would stop at nothing to save his reputation. However, does he have what it takes to take on a legend like Tiger Woods? Judging from his experience, Tiger would likely beg for a mulligan at the end of the trial.