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Britney Spears’s Father Steps Down As Property Conservator

One of the most basic tenets for a successful conservatorship is to make sure there is a working and respectful relationship -- and here, there was not.

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(Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

They say you cannot choose your parents. If there is anything we have learned from the Britney Spears conservatorship drama, it is that we can choose a conservator. Well, sort of.

Jamie Spears, father to Britney Spears, filed a petition in Los Angeles Superior Court yesterday, to resign as Spears’s property conservator. This comes after a summer of testimony from the pop star wherein she emphatically stated that she did not want her father serving as guardian. Jamie Spears has finally agreed to step down from his post, although the court noted that there is no urgent basis for Jamie Spears’s immediate removal. A timetable for his resignation has not been disclosed.

Britney fans see this latest event as a huge win for the pop icon. In guardianship and conservatorship forums, applications are often made for the removal of a guardian. This could be for deficiencies in their actions, bad conduct, or simply because they do not get along with the incapacitated person. In this case, Britney Spears has made it abundantly clear that she does not want to have her father serving as guardian. It seems that Jamie Spears has finally got the message and will resign. Such an action will avoid a likely contentious proceeding wherein there would be testimony, evidence, and more publicity. Moreover it would drag out this matter so as to further upset Britney Spears, something we can all agree we want to avoid.

Guardians and conservators are assigned to individuals who have various kinds of limitations, some more evident than others. While some are immobile, cannot speak, and are gravely ill, others earn a living and function in society, despite their limitations. An objective of a conservatorship is to allow an individual as much freedom as possible, while also granting them protections. In order to have a successful conservatorship, there needs to be a working relationship, respect, and understanding. This is not so easy, especially when you have a case wherein the individual objected to conservatorship from the beginning. In the Spears case, we do not know the reasons why Britney was assigned a conservator, the evidence presented, or why her father was appointed over others. Often, the courts appoint a relative for the obvious reason that they feel a closeness or a natural obligation to take care of their loved one. Other times, family is not appointed because they are the aggressors in an unhealthy situation. All should be mindful of potential conflicts, especially when money is involved.

In this case, the relationship between the Spears clearly did not work. There have been reports for years that Jamie Spears and his daughter, her children, his ex-wife, and others did not get along. One of the most basic tenets for a successful conservatorship is to make sure there is a working and respectful relationship. When fame and money and complicated family relationship are involved, all need to pay more attention and try harder to make it work. In this case, especially with the wealth and popularity involved, it would behoove everyone to make sure that the person at the center of it all, who clearly can express her opinions, is heard. We still do not know whether Spears, in accordance with the law, needs a guardian, but it has become very clear that she does not want her father to serve in that position. A conservatorship is supposed to instill order and calm. With Jamie Spears’s resignation, regardless of whether Britney Spears continues with another conservator, we can all agree that we hope that she has some peace.

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Cori A. Robinson is a solo practitioner having founded Cori A. Robinson PLLC, a New York and New Jersey law firm, in 2017. For more than a decade Cori has focused her law practice on trusts and estates and elder law including estate and Medicaid planning, probate and administration, estate litigation, and guardianships. She can be reached at cori@robinsonestatelaw.com.

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