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A millionaire divorce lawyer has been branded ‘entirely unreasonable’ by a judge after she made her maternity nanny work 24-hour shifts caring for her newborn as part of an ‘unpaid trial’.
Tetiana Bersheda, who represented Russian oligarch Dmitry Rybolovlev in what was dubbed the most expensive divorce in history, tried to get an experienced nanny – named only as Ms Antunes in court documents – to work for free.
The nanny stayed overnight in her Kensington home and cared for her children, including a small baby, for five days without being paid a penny.
Bersheda, who studied at Cambridge University, tried to insist Ms Antunes had agreed to the ‘free’ trial as she represented herself during an employment tribunal.
However, Judge Robinson ruled that it was ‘not credible’ that any experienced professional would work 24-hour shifts overnight for a number of days ‘without any remuneration’.
Tetiana Bersheda, a lawyer who regularly represents billionaires, tried to get an experienced nanny – named only as Ms Antunes in court documents – to work for free
The nanny stayed overnight in her Kensington home (pictured) and cared for her children, including a small baby, for five days without being paid a penny
Bersheda, who now lives in Switzerland, was told by the judge her behaviour had been ‘entirely unreasonable’ and was ordered by the court to pay Ms Antunes £1,093 – just a fraction of the billions the divorce lawyer handles regularly in court.
As a highly experienced nanny Ms Antunes had agreed a rate of £250 per 24-hour shift. The judge had agreed the fee reflected both the punishing demands of the role and the exclusivity of her postcode.
The arrangement had begun on Tuesday November 19, 2024 when Ms Antunes moved to Bersheda’s home to work throughout the night caring for the young baby.
But following a blazing row on Saturday, Ms Antunes walked out having worked five days and nights around the clock for nothing.
Bersheda did not attend the tribunal hearing in person and had applied for a postponement telling the court she had moved abroad.
The request was only made 48 hours before the case was due to be heard despite being given notice of the date in January.
The judge refused, noting that Bersheda had made no effort to explore whether she could give evidence from abroad.
The hearing went ahead by video link with one of Europe’s most decorated international lawyers representing herself.
Despite a career spent dismantling the arguments of some of the world’s sharpest legal minds, she was ordered to pay Ms Antunes £1,093.
Bersheda represented Russian oligarch Dmitry Rybolovlev (pictured left with daughter) in what was dubbed the most expensive divorce in history – with his ex-wife Elena (pictured right) being handed a record £2.6billion
Bersheda gained notoriety in 2011 when she represented billionaire Russia oligarch Dmitry Rybolovlev in his divorce which was later coined the most expensive divorce of all time.
The AS Monaco Football Club owner was forced to hand over £2.6billion in the record breaking divorce to his ex-wife Elena.
The top lawyer, who also divorced from her childhood sweetheart in 2011, went on to set up her own company LexSnap – an online legal marketplace.
Bersheda, who speaks five languages, now runs a different legal firm – Bersheda Law – which operates out of Switzerland, as well as England and Wales.