Mills has a mountain to climb, say lawyers
The former model is representing herself against one of the top barristers in the field of divorce settlements and in doing so she has “a mountain to climb”, according to other divorce lawyers.
Sandra Sinclair, of law firm SAS Daniels, said Britain was the best jurisdiction in the world for wives seeking a divorce settlement, but Ms Mills does not have any background in law and could find herself in severe trouble at the Royal Courts of Justice.
“She must be mad to do it herself. She will be up against one of the finest legal teams in the world, led by Nicholas Mostyn QC.”
Ms Sinclair said Ms Mills had chosen to act in person even though she could afford an equally high-powered team. If she did not have the necessary funds, then she could apply to the court for an interim order from the former Beatle for a “fighting fund”.
She said: “I just wonder what is behind it all. How on earth will Heather approach the case? She is obviously asking for a lot more than Sir Paul is prepared to offer.
“She will have to show that Sir Paul has the means to provide her with a settlement allowing her an independent existence, taking into account the loss of her own career and the upbringing of their daughter — and we are talking millions here.”
She added: “It is possible that she had to get rid of her legal team because her claims were so outrageous that she has had to run the case herself and hope the court will take pity on her lack of experience.
“But it just does not work like that.
“The judge in the case, Mr Justice Bennett, will be as helpful as possible, as they are to all litigants in person, but it is not up to him to put her case.”
Ms Sinclair said in the end the judge will have to apply criteria after listening to the evidence and using his discretion and Ms Mills could find herself “with far less than she imagined”.
This was the second of a scheduled five days at the High Court of a case which is being heard entirely behind closed doors.
Mr McCartney and Ms Mills, who lost part of a leg in a road accident in 1993, will be battling over his estimated £825 million (€1,109bn) fortune and access to their daughter Beatrice, 4, after a marriage that lasted less than four years.
They married in June 2002, four years after Mr McCartney’s first wife Linda, whom he married in 1969, died of breast cancer.
There has been speculation among divorce experts, based on recent big money cases, that the settlement could reach £60m (€81m).
