Post by The End on Oct 25, 2007 11:40:19 GMT
17 October 2007
Sir Paul McCartney: I'll give Heather £25million
He ups initial offer of just £3MILLION Divorce deal could be finalised this week
Heather's legal team is urging her to accept the cash, which is a huge increase on Sir Paul's opening offer of between £3million and £5million.
The fine print, including a gagging clause to stop Heather telling her story, is still being discussed. But the two sides are said to be "within touching distance" and could shake hands on a deal by Friday. A source said: "There is no guarantee - but it's the closest they've been."
Cheeky Sir Paul McCartney initially offered Heather Mills a tiny £3million slice of his vast £825million fortune as a divorce pay off.
But her lawyer Anthony Julius laughed off the sum and has talked Macca up to £25million - a deal the warring pair seem to be on the brink of signing.
One well-placed source said yesterday: "They are nearing a possible settlement. There has been so much speculation about this case but here are the hard facts.
"Paul, on the advice of his lawyer Fiona Shackleton, originally offered Heather between three and five million. But there was absolutely no way Heather's legal team were going to accept that.
"Anthony Julius is a formidable operator and decided to play hard ball.
"He's crossed swords with Ms Shackleton before when they went head to head in Prince Charles and Diana's divorce and he knows how she works.
"There has been serious wrangling going on behind the scenes for months and months and months and he has finally managed to get them to hike the package up to about £25million.
"There is no guarantee they will settle but it's the closest they have been."
The estranged couple's legal teams are still negotiating on the detail of the deal - including the confidentiality clause that Macca has insisted Heather must sign.
But the 65-year-old ex-Beatle's lawyers are also believed to be counselling him to compromise. A settlement is "within touching distance".
Some divorce experts had predicted Heather, 39, would pocket up to £60million.
Anthony Julius, nicknamed Anthony Genius, has a reputation as one of the toughest negotiators in the legal world and is well respected by his peers. He is credited with securing Princess Diana's £17million deal.
One expert said: "Considering he's managed to get Heather around five times what was originally offered, it proves that Anthony deserves his reputation as one of most feared negotiators out there.
"It's unlikely a judge would award Heather any more and Anthony will be aware of that. I'm sure his advice will be 'Take the money.' Don't forget they were only married four years and he built up the bulk of his fortune before they met.
"It's actually a very generous settlement and Anthony Julius has done a sterling job.
"It also means Heather can avoid paying for expensive lawyers for another four or five months and can walk away now, knowing she can start getting on with her life."
The saving on legal fees will be considerable - as Mr Julius and Ms Shackleton both charge around £500 an hour.
Macca's £25million offer is believed to have been made after last week's pre-divorce hearing in London.
Heather is expected to decide whether to accept the offer by the end of the week - and maybe as early as Friday.
The Mirror told on Saturday how Macca was prepared to go all the way to a full public divorce hearing in February.
A source close to McCartney said: "Paul is in quite a strong position. His legal team knows a judge is unlikely to award Heather a package of much more than about £25million so he has offered that and now all he has to do is sit and wait.
"It's now in Heather's hands. Paul has always been prepared to go all the way but if it can be sorted out before then, he's not going to stand in the way."
Sir Paul McCartney: I'll give Heather £25million
He ups initial offer of just £3MILLION Divorce deal could be finalised this week
Heather's legal team is urging her to accept the cash, which is a huge increase on Sir Paul's opening offer of between £3million and £5million.
The fine print, including a gagging clause to stop Heather telling her story, is still being discussed. But the two sides are said to be "within touching distance" and could shake hands on a deal by Friday. A source said: "There is no guarantee - but it's the closest they've been."
Cheeky Sir Paul McCartney initially offered Heather Mills a tiny £3million slice of his vast £825million fortune as a divorce pay off.
But her lawyer Anthony Julius laughed off the sum and has talked Macca up to £25million - a deal the warring pair seem to be on the brink of signing.
One well-placed source said yesterday: "They are nearing a possible settlement. There has been so much speculation about this case but here are the hard facts.
"Paul, on the advice of his lawyer Fiona Shackleton, originally offered Heather between three and five million. But there was absolutely no way Heather's legal team were going to accept that.
"Anthony Julius is a formidable operator and decided to play hard ball.
"He's crossed swords with Ms Shackleton before when they went head to head in Prince Charles and Diana's divorce and he knows how she works.
"There has been serious wrangling going on behind the scenes for months and months and months and he has finally managed to get them to hike the package up to about £25million.
"There is no guarantee they will settle but it's the closest they have been."
The estranged couple's legal teams are still negotiating on the detail of the deal - including the confidentiality clause that Macca has insisted Heather must sign.
But the 65-year-old ex-Beatle's lawyers are also believed to be counselling him to compromise. A settlement is "within touching distance".
Some divorce experts had predicted Heather, 39, would pocket up to £60million.
Anthony Julius, nicknamed Anthony Genius, has a reputation as one of the toughest negotiators in the legal world and is well respected by his peers. He is credited with securing Princess Diana's £17million deal.
One expert said: "Considering he's managed to get Heather around five times what was originally offered, it proves that Anthony deserves his reputation as one of most feared negotiators out there.
"It's unlikely a judge would award Heather any more and Anthony will be aware of that. I'm sure his advice will be 'Take the money.' Don't forget they were only married four years and he built up the bulk of his fortune before they met.
"It's actually a very generous settlement and Anthony Julius has done a sterling job.
"It also means Heather can avoid paying for expensive lawyers for another four or five months and can walk away now, knowing she can start getting on with her life."
The saving on legal fees will be considerable - as Mr Julius and Ms Shackleton both charge around £500 an hour.
Macca's £25million offer is believed to have been made after last week's pre-divorce hearing in London.
Heather is expected to decide whether to accept the offer by the end of the week - and maybe as early as Friday.
The Mirror told on Saturday how Macca was prepared to go all the way to a full public divorce hearing in February.
A source close to McCartney said: "Paul is in quite a strong position. His legal team knows a judge is unlikely to award Heather a package of much more than about £25million so he has offered that and now all he has to do is sit and wait.
"It's now in Heather's hands. Paul has always been prepared to go all the way but if it can be sorted out before then, he's not going to stand in the way."