Do you need a lawyer? Katie Price thinks so.

Katie Price (also known as Jordan) and her soon-to-be ex-husband, Peter Andre, are embroiled in an increasingly bitter divorce that I first analyzed on May 12, 2009. Within the last week, Ms. Price has hired one of Britain’s foremost divorce lawyers, Fiona Shackleton, to represent her against Mr. Andre. Ms. Shackleton represented Sir Paul McCartney and Prince Charles in their respective divorces. In each case, as in the Price case, Ms. Shackleton has represented the more affluent spouse.

Ms. Price has a fortune of approximately 40 million pounds, significantly higher than the personal fortune of Mr. Andre. The couple does not have a prenuptial agreement, and Ms. Price has hired Ms. Shackleton to negotiate or litigate the matter such that Mr. Andre’s share of the marital estate is as small as possible.

In most circumstances, hiring a divorce lawyer does not result in an increased benefit. Often, the facts surrounding child support, spousal support, and property division are so cut-and-dried that self-help, mediation, lawyer assistance, or adjudication will result in substantially the same outcome. Moreover, most people do not have the funds to engage in a drawn-out court battle because they would be depleting the very resources they are fighting over.

However, in a case involving the amount of money that Ms. Price has, it may well be worth the investment in her divorce attorney. The hourly rate she would pay to Ms. Shackleton to resolve the matter would pale in comparison to the amount she might give up to Mr. Andre without such assistance. Furthermore, she can bet that her resources will buy her better legal representation than his funds will secure for him.

If Ms. Price believes she has the law on her side, she should proceed as long as she can do so without the litigation harming the children she shares with Mr. Andre.