By now you’ve probably heard the news that Angelina Jolie filed for divorce from Brad Pitt. The whole thing is a whirlwind so far, with Jolie’s attorney, Laura Wasser, at the center of the storm.
Here’s what we know about Wasser.
Jolie’s obtained her services before
Hiring Wasser wasn’t a snap decision on Jolie’s part. In fact, the two go way back.
Wasser actually guided Jolie through her divorce from Billy Bob Thornton that was finalized in 2003.
She’s had a busy year
Not only is Wasser waist-deep in the Jolie-Pitt divorce, but she was also involved in what is now the second-biggest Hollywood separation of 2016.
Wasser was counsel for Johnny Depp in his very messy divorce from Amber Heard that just wrapped up in August.
Basically you name ’em, she’s repped ’em
Other famous clients include Britney Spears in her divorce from Kevin Federline, Jennifer Garner in her divorce from Ben Affleck, Maria Shriver in her divorce from Arnold Schwarzenegger, Denise Richards in her divorce from Charlie Sheen, Kim Kardashian in her divorce from Kris Humphries and Nick Lachey in his divorce from Jessica Simpson.
You can seek cheap advice from her
If you yourself are going through a devastating divorce, you can get nuggets of sage wisdom from Wasser — without the Hollywood price tag. All you have to do is mosey on over to your favorite book dealer to pick up your copy of her book It Doesn’t Have to Be That Way: How to Divorce Without Destroying Your Family or Bankrupting Yourself.
Seriously, though, there are used copies available on Amazon.com for less than $5. It’ll pay for itself a million times over — literally.
She’s no BS
“I have a reputation for being a pit bull, but really, I’m results-oriented,” she told Dame via People magazine. “I don’t feel comfortable when the desire to ruin the other person is so great.”
And she’s not above turning down a case she’s not comfortable with. For instance, Reese Witherspoon reportedly asked her to rep both her and Ryan Phillippe in their separation, but Wasser supposedly declined for personal reasons, according to WENN.
She also ditched Spears during her divorce in 2007, around the time of her infamous breakdown.
“It was an ugly split-up,” Wasser told Bloomberg Businessweek in 2015. “We got out of that case.”
She employs a smart strategy for celeb divorces
Since almost all of her clients are high-profile types that the media is literally sitting around waiting for the details of the divorce, Wasser has tactics that keep the vultures away until the smoke from the separation has cleared.
She usually has her clients try to settle the terms of their divorce before filing, since the documents will be public record and hit the media quickly once the filing occurs, according to People.
There’s a reason she has so many celeb clients
Besides the fact that it’s good for business, Wasser keeps as many high-profile clients on her roster as possible as a tactic to keep the press’s focus scattered so they can’t focus on one client in particular.
She’s expensive AF
Sources say Wasser’s retainer is $25,000, and she charges $850 an hour in fees.
On top of that, she usually recommends that her clients hire a private judge to oversee a settlement outside of a public courtroom, and that can run ya up to $1,000 an hour, according to People.
She’s a cool operator
She may cost you a pretty penny, but if you can afford her, you can bet she will stay as cool as a cucumber and give it to you straight.
“You can call Laura and say, ‘I’m so angry, blah blah blah blah,’ but Laura does not operate in that space,” producer Brian Grazer said to Bloomberg. “She will be calm and logical, and she’ll tell you to think about what you’re saying.”
She worked with an O.J. Simpson lawyer
At the beginning of her career, Wasser worked on run-of-the-mill, low-profile cases, until she worked with one of O.J. Simpson’s defense attorneys.
In 2001, Wasser teamed up with the late Johnnie Cochran to represent Stevie Wonder in a $30 million palimony suit brought upon him by a former live-in girlfriend.
Her career snowballed from there.
She still believes in love
Wasser may take a pragmatic approach when it comes to relationships, but that doesn’t mean she’s given up on the fairy tale completely.
“I don’t want you to think I’m anti-love, because I’m not,” she told Bloomberg. “But I don’t want to get married. I don’t like the idea of entering into that contract.”
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