Setting Stage for 'Lawyer's Dream' Divorce, Tiger Woods' Wife Retains Attorney Sorrell Trope
Despite Tiger Woods’ reported desire to save their marriage after a widely publicized series of alleged extra-marital affairs on his part, his wife apparently has decided to file for divorce from the world-renowned professional golfer and may have moved from their Florida home.
And, in a signal that she may attempt to win a property settlement above and beyond what is provided for in a prenuptial agreement concerning their five-year marriage, 29-year-old Elin Nordegren has hired attorney Sorrell Trope to represent her, reports the New York Daily News.
Described by colleagues as a top California matrimonial practitioner who handles high-dollar divorces with contentious custody issues, the 82-year-old attorney is a veteran of multiple celebrity breakups and has a has a reputation as a tough dealmaker.
“There is just one Sorrell Trope,” divorce attorney Robert Wallack of Manhattan tells the newspaper. “He’s the dean of the California matrimonial bar.
Among the celebrities Trope has represented during his 60-year legal career are Nicolas Cage, Cary Grant, Hugh Grant, Nicole Kidman and Britney Spears, notes Agence France-Presse.
Amid speculation that Nordegren intends to file for divorce in California, the London Times reports that pursuing the case there may be difficult.
“Particularly with children involved, who I believe have lived in Florida, you can’t get around that easily,” says Florida divorce attorney John Wallace, who practices in Orlando.
“This is the kind of divorce that’s a lawyer’s dream,” he tells the Times. “You could have lawyers fighting over several different issues in different states.”
Although Trope didn’t return a Daily News request for comment about his representation of Woods’ wife, he spoke earlier with the newspaper about deciding to become a lawyer as a child growing up in Albany, N.Y.
“On Saturdays, you always went to the movies and you saw a double feature and a cartoon,” he recounts. “And there were some wonderful lawyer movies, and the lawyers were always dressed up and they looked wonderful.”
Additional coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Story of Tiger Woods’ Parking Lot Liaison Reportedly Killed with Law Firm’s Help”
ABAJournal.com: “Publication Ban No Proof That Nude Pix of Tiger Woods Exist, His Counsel Says”
Bloomberg: “Tiger Woods’s Affairs a Gift to Lawyers: Ann Woolner”
Updated on Dec. 22 to link to additional coverage.
