What an aggressive new lawyer could mean for Britney Spears' conservatorship battle

Britney Spears is reportedly in discussions with a "tough as nails" lawyer as she seeks a "far more aggressive legal approach" in her conservatorship case.

After the court-appointed attorney who has represented Spears in her conservatorship recently motioned to resign, The New York Times reports the pop star is looking to potentially hire former federal prosecutor Mathew Rosengart as her lawyer. In addition to his work at the Justice Department, Rosengart has represented a number of major Hollywood celebrities like Sean Penn and Steven Spielberg, Variety reports. Penn told the Times that Rosengart, who helped him win a defamation case, is "a tough as nails streetfighter with a big brain and bigger principles."

If Spears were to bring on Rosengart, this would "signal a drastic change in the handling of the case," the Times writes, noting that he "would be expected to aggressively pursue" the end of the conservatorship.

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Samuel Ingham III, who has represented Spears in the conservatorship since 2008, requested to resign in the wake of the pop star's bombshell testimony, during which she decried the "abusive" conservatorship and said she wasn't aware she could ask to end it. That latter detail raised questions about Ingham's handling of the case, but according to TMZ, Ingham contends he "regularly gave Britney options," including requesting the end of the conservatorship. Last week, though, Page Six reported that Spears "doesn't understand" why Ingham hadn't yet filed to begin that process to end it.

Spears has "told others she wanted to take a far more aggressive legal approach," the Times reports. Still, it isn't clear whether the judge in the case would approve of Rosengart's hiring. Spears' mother recently filed documents asking the court to "listen to the wishes of her daughter," including by letting her "hire her own private legal counsel." A hearing in the case is scheduled for Wednesday, and Rosengart will reportedly attend it.