Guy Ritchie takes on top lawyer to keep children in UK

GUY Ritchie has hired Britain's top children's lawyer in a battle with Madonna over where their children should live, the Evening Standard can reveal today.

Ritchie is consulting Stephen Cobb QC, who specialises in international divorce cases in which the country of residence of the children is in dispute.

Madonna is understood to want to move back to the US after eight years of marriage to Ritchie, during which they made London their base.

But with their relationship in tatters, the couple are locked in an increasingly bitter legal dispute over their children and the divorce payout Madonna, 50, will have to make to Ritchie, who is 10 years younger.

The issue of where the children live is particularly complicated. Ritchie and Madonna have one natural son together, eight-year-old Rocco who was born in the US, and jointly adopted three-year-old David. Madonna also has a daughter, Lourdes, from a previous relationship, whose father lives in New York.

Madonna cannot take the children to live with her permanently in the US unless she either gets permission from Ritchie or an English court grants her leave to remove the children.

Mr Cobb, head of chambers at 1 Garden Court, is the leading expert in Britain on leave-to-remove cases. He is ranked by Chambers and Partners, the legal directory, as the best barrister in the country in children's law.

One source told the Standard: "Stephen Cobb is acting for Guy Ritchie. There are only a handful of barristers who specialise in leave-to-remove applications and he is the best in that area."

Julian Ribet, a leading divorce lawyer who has used Mr Cobb on several cases, said: "This is the sort of case you would expect to see Stephen Cobb involved in. There are complicated issues and he is extremely highly regarded in resolving these kind of disputes. He is just the kind of person you would want on board."

It is understood Mr Cobb was brought on to the case by Lady Ward, a divorce solicitor at Manches law firm who acted for Beverley Charman in the biggest divorce payout awarded by a British court. Madonna is being represented by Fiona Shackleton, who acted for Prince Charles and Sir Paul McCartney in their divorces. It is thought Ms Shackleton has brought in Nicholas Mostyn QC, the barrister who demolished Heather Mills in court during her divorce from Sir Paul.

Sources suggest Ritchie and Madonna will settle their dispute at a mediation hearing and before it reaches court, not least because they will be reluctant to endure the public scrutiny that McCartney and Mills underwent.

But one source told the Standard that the two sides were "miles apart" and that a settlement is some way off.

Madonna, who is worth an estimated £300million, risks losing as much as half her fortune to film director Ritchie, whose career earnings are reckoned to be no more than £30million.

Mr Cobb today refused to comment on his involvement in the case.