Britney Spears's attorney says he's 'proud' of his work 'fighting for' the singer amid criticism over his legal fees
Britney Spears's attorney is "proud" of the work he's done for the superstar — and he's going to keep fighting on her behalf.
A new documentary about the singer airs Monday — TMZ Investigates: Britney Spears: The Price of Freedom — and the website's had no shortage of dramatic headlines to tout it. One on Friday was about how Mathew Rosengart, who famously freed Spears from the 13-year conservatorship and has continued to provide legal representation to her, was been paid $4.2 million in legal fees since 2021. That sum reportedly "agitated" members of her team and resulted in Rosengart agreeing to work pro bono for the remainder of the case against Britney's dad, Jamie Spears.
"We are proud of our work ranging from the hard-fought suspension of James Spears in July and September of 2021 through the present and for fighting for Britney," Rosengart tells Yahoo Entertainment.
The former federal prosecutor, who Spears publicly credited with turning her life around, declined to comment further, but has a record of wins for the pop star. When she retained him in July 2021 — the first attorney she was able to hire herself in her decade-plus as a conservatee — he swiftly suspended Jamie as conservator after she publicly alleged conservator abuse. Within just four months, Rosengart was able to end the conservatorship completely.
The conservatorship ended, but Rosengart's legal work on her behalf has continued. He was victorious in getting the judge to rule that Jamie had to be deposed amid claims he abused and surveilled his daughter. He successfully fought Jamie's attempt to depose Britney. Rosengart has continued to investigate potential mismanagement by Jamie and Tri Star Sports & Entertainment Group, the firm that provided business management services to Britney’s estate.
In the close to two years he's been her attorney, he's also represented her outside the conservatorship. Some of those things include: making the book deal for her upcoming memoir and her collaboration with Elton John on the song "Hold Me Closer." (The latter was her first new music since her 2016 album "Glory" after vowing not to perform music until she was freed from her conservatorship.) There are also other matters, including her prenup when she married Sam Ashgari in June, legal proceedings related to her first husband Jason Alexander crashing her wedding, investigative work, security issues, hearings and additional day to day things.
Rosengart has been critical of how the conservatorship finances were handled. In 2022, he claimed Jamie and the lawyers involved took more than $36 million from Britney's estate overall. He called out the Spears patriarch specifically for allegedly "siphoned millions" personally, billing things like his legal fees stemming from his 2019 physical altercation with her minor sons to Britney's estate.
As we previously reported, Jamie billed more than $2 million in legal fees to Britney in 2021. Nearly half of that was spent on "media matters," responding to bad press about him. (That was separate from Jamie's $192,000 annual salary as conservator and the percentage he earned from making business deals for Britney.)
Britney's agent has not yet responded to Yahoo's request for comment about TMZ's report, but sources say the claim that Britney's team is "agitated" by Rosengart's paycheck for legal services is untrue. She herself has been appreciative of his efforts. Further, Rosengart, who has been protective of his client, has given discounts on his services to keep prices moderate.
In 2022, the Greenberg Traurig partner talked about taking what is an out-of-the-ordinary case for him. He said it stemmed from hearing her emotional plea to the judge, calling for an end to the "embarrassing and demoralizing" conservatorship.
"I’ve always detested bullying, even growing up,” he told the Hollywood Reporter. "Bullying a woman is even more unacceptable and abhorrent. It was troubling to me both personally and professionally, and I felt I could help stop it, as a lawyer and otherwise. That’s a pledge I made, and it was really rewarding to be able to help."
Last year, Britney shared a photo of herself with Rosengart to Instagram, writing, "This man has turned my life around … So many exciting projects ahead !!!! ... Thank you for being so kind and respectful to me always!!!!!! … I simply adore you !!!!"
On the topic of documentaries about her — of which there have been several — Britney has made clear that she isn't a fan. In November, she called them "humiliating" on social media. "I am a person … I’m not a robot or a science experiment like they analyzed me in that place !!! I’m a valued soul … so for the documentaries that were done on me, they were trash and nothing more than trash … period !!!"
This one, airing on Fox next week, is no different. In addition to trying to churn up drama around Rosengart's paychecks, it suggests her team has concerns about her taking care of herself. A source calls the characterization demeaning at a time when the star is just trying to reclaim her life.