Will Heather Mills Need A Dog?

If you still haven't gotten enough of the Paul McCartney-Heather Mills divorce story, or missed the recent news from here (long and short) and elsewhere, there are still more places to explore. (I'm sorry, I'm afflicted with Anglophilia, with a touch of Beatlemania, and Paul was my fave of the Fab Four. I do think this will be my last post on the topic - still, don't hold me to that.)

First Jeanne Hannah at Updates in Michigan Family Law has a great summary and analysis of the judgment, at least from where I sit on the American side of the Atlantic. Then, from over there where it's all happened, there's Family Law Week blog: Macca v Mucca, a list of, and links to, British family law blog posts on the topic. But that list seemed to miss the following English post, DivorceSolicitor: Heather Mills should buy a dog, which makes the rather amusing point that Heather may need a dog to keep her company now. The dog would give her unconditional love, Divorce Solicitor says, and that's something Heather may have a hard time finding right now. You know, money can't buy me love...

I find it interesting that nearly all of these recent commentaries I have been reading have failed to mention that Heather Mills does not have sole custody of four-year-old daughter Beatrice, as many people are likely to assume to be the case. Beatrice will instead be jointly parented by both Sir Paul McCartney and Heather Mills in a joint custody arrangement. I wonder if Heather Mills' previous public rants, including at least one in which she discussed her own suicidal thoughts, are the reason for this custody arrangement, which was apparently agreed upon before this past week's contested trial, as it was not obviously in contention then.

I for one think it is kind of cool that what is very likely to be the last child of a Beatle will grow up with parents in a joint custody arrangement. If Beatrice has to be a child of divorce, I think it is great she will at least get the benefit of having Sir Paul McCartney as a very active father in her life.

For information about Massachusetts divorce and family law, see the divorce and family law page of my law firm website.