May 20, 2010: Tiger versus sharks?

Tiger Woods divorce under way, as both sides hire top divorce lawyers.

by Jeffrey Cottrill

Many marriages break down after only one affair. Tiger Woods has reportedly gotten away with more than 100. And now, it appears that his wife, Elin Nordegren, has had enough.

Evidence points to a looming divorce between the American golf superstar and the Swedish model, as the latter has hired not one but two esteemed divorce lawyers to settle financial and child-custody issues. In addition to her divorce lawyer in her home state of Florida, Nordegren is retaining Walter White, Jr. of the firm McGuire Woods in London, England.

McGuire Woods specializes in financial transactions in the multimillions. White, whom her twin sister Josefin Nordegren (another employee of the firm) recommended, is renowned for his expertise at finding hidden assets.

"She said from the beginning that she didn't want to fight over money," a source close to Nordegren, 30, told British tabloid The Daily Mirror on Sunday, "but at the same time, she wants to know exactly how much money Tiger really has. The figure she's after is very fair. It's around £240 million [about $343 million U.S.] -- about a third of what he's supposedly got. My guess is he's got much, much more and it's going to get ugly.

"Tiger is starting to play hard ball, because there's no hope of reconciliation," the source added.

In the meantime, Woods is building his own legal strategy. The 71-time PGA Tour winner has hired West Palm Beach, Florida divorce lawyer Thomas Sasser, whose specialty is international child-custody agreements. NASCAR star Jeff Gordon is a past client of Sasser's. Celebrity-news website TMZ reported last week that child custody would be a major issue in the divorce; the couple wants to work out an agreement in which their two children, two-and-a-half-year-old Sam and one-year-old Charlie, can live with Nordegren in Sweden while Woods has either child-custody or visitation rights.

"They have not been getting along as a married couple," TMZ quoted another source as saying on May 10, "but there has been no conflict over the children. They both want what's best for the kids... This [part of the divorce] isn't going to get ugly. They've both made sure of that."

Woods, 34, and Nordegren married in October 2004. Woods' personal life has been rife with scandal since November, when two of his affairs came to public light. The final straw in the marriage evidently came on April 28, when Woods confessed to having had no less than 120 affairs.

Tiger Woods tied for fourth place in this year's Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia last month.

• Client's Responsibilities When Dealing with a Divorce Lawyer
• Who Decides: You or the Judge?
• Buried Treasure: Looking for Hidden Assets in a Divorce

More articles     Find a lawyer      Divorce FAQs       Divorce newsletter

Tuesday, May 15
at 8 pm to 8:30 EST
Out With the Tragedy: Turning Divorce into a meaningful experience
with Allison Pescosolido and Andra Brosh, founders of Divorce Detox
Learn More

Listen to podcasts of previous TeleSeminars.