Hollywood's top divorce lawyer explains how A-list celebrities keep their breakups secret

Imeh Akpanudosen/Getty Images for Laura Wasser

With high-profile clients, divorce attorney Laura Wasser has special methods to keep clients out of the press.

In an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek, the 47-year-old partner at Wasser, Cooperman & Mandlesis, a Los Angeles family law firm started by her father, discussed how she helps her A-list celebrity clients privately divorce.

She's worked with the likes of Britney Spears, Angelina Jolie, Stevie Wonder (two times), and at least three Kardashians. 

She said that in the past, Friday afternoon was a good time to file a divorce petition, but now, before a holiday weekend is best to keep things quiet.

And as for location: "She files in branch offices when she can ('Santa Barbara is great'), because, she says, their clerks leak fewer documents," Businessweek writes.

She also tries to file multiple high-profile divorce petitions at a time to take pressure off of the clients from publications seeking out stories to write about.

“I’ll tell my clients, ‘I have someone else, I can’t say who, but you should really wait and file at the same time,’ ” she told Businessweek.

Hiring private judges and negotiating outside of legal documentation can also help the clients avoid unwanted attention.

"[Hiring private judges] is similar to arbitration, although the decisions ultimately become public and can be appealed," the article explains. "The main benefit is that no one knows about the details of the split except the two people going through it."  

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