That change gave Mr. Marshall outright control of $60 million of his mother's assets.
Without that support, the Barclays would have gained outright control of the company.
If Labour lose seven it would lose outright control of the council.
However, Hachette won outright control of the titles when it paid £17m for them in a sealed bidding process last October.
Of these, Labour has outright control of 28, the Conservatives four, Lib Dems one and 12 authorities are under no overall control.
Mr. Whitaker drafted and executed the January 2004 codicil, which gave Mr. Marshall outright control of a $60 million chunk of Mrs. Astor's estate.
Although the Front National did not win outright control of any département local council, its percentage score rose sharply from the last local elections.
Deal makers and entrepreneurs can leverage these gaps to build relationships with the government that give them anything from better business contracts to outright control of entire markets.
Unease over China's buying spree has lingered since the failed Unocal takeover, dissuading many Chinese companies from bidding for outright control of strategic assets.
It passed successively under the influence or outright control of the Greeks, Romans, Khazars, Mongols, Crimean Tatars, Turks, and, after 1864, the Russians.
The second of those amendments gave Mr. Marshall outright control of her estate, and Mr. Marshall and Mr. Morrissey were convicted of tricking Mrs. Astor into signing it.
