Britney Spears' Lawyer Sam Ingham Reportedly Resigning Amid Conservatorship Drama

Britney Spears' court-appointed lawyer, Sam Ingham, is reportedly resigning from the pop star's [...]

By Hannah Barnes

Britney Spears' court-appointed lawyer, Sam Ingham, is reportedly resigning from the pop star's conservatorship after public scrutiny following Spears' appearance in court last month, TMZ reports. Ingham has been representing Spears for 13 years and was appointed as her lawyer when she was placed under a conservatorship in 2008.

TMZ claims that Ingham will file documents as early as Tuesday asking to be dismissed as Spears' lawyer, a decision that is reportedly the result of the 39-year-old's statement in court, where she said that she was unaware that she could request to end her conservatorship. Sources say that Ingham "regularly" gave Spears options "including requesting that the conservatorship should end" but that she never wanted to do so. Sources claim that Ingham spoke to the singer about removing her father, Jamie Spears, from his post as conservator but that she allegedly never wanted to end the conservatorship completely. Ingham's "last straw" was reportedly when Spears told the judge that her lawyer never told her of her options to end the conservatorship.

On Monday, Spears' longtime manager, Larry Rudolph, revealed that he would be resigning from his post. In a letter sent to Spears' co-conservators Jamie Spears and Jodi Montgomery and obtained by Deadline, Rudolph wrote that "It has been over 2 1/2 years since Britney and I last communicated, at which time she informed me she wanted to take an indefinite work hiatus. Earlier today, I became aware that Britney had been voicing her intention to officially retire."

He added that he has never been part of Spears' conservatorship and "as her manager, I believe it is in Britney's best interest for me to resign from her team as my professional services are no longer needed." Rudolph began managing Spears in 1995 and had been overseeing her career ever since, save for a brief period in 2007-2008. "I will always be incredibly proud of what we accomplished over our 25 years together," he concluded. "I wish Britney all the health and happiness in the world, and I'll be there for her if she ever needs me again, just as I always have been."

Last week, Bessemer Trust, which had been appointed as co-conservator of Spears' estate in November 2020, asked the court to allow it to resign from the singer's case. That resignation came one day after Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny denied a request to remove Jamie Spears from his daughter's conservatorship and affirmed that Bessemer Trust would be a co-conservator. A hearing will be held on July 14 on whether to grant Bessemer's request, which is the same day that Jamie Spears has asked the court to hold a formal hearing regarding Britney's numerous allegations of abuse and mistreatment under the conservatorship that she made during her court appearance.

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