By: LISA R. WILSON

As of Monday, July 7th, yet another high-profile marriage has hit rock-bottom. New York Yankees all-star Alex Rodriguez (A-Rod) has been served with divorce papers from his wife of six years, who is claiming A-Rod to be an adulterer who “emotionally abandoned his wife and children.” This divorce filing comes less than a week after reports flooded the press of a possible romantic connection between A-Rod and Madonna. Although Madonna has issued statements denying these allegations, rumors have also been circulating for months that Madonna and her husband, director Guy Ritchie, are also planning to split. Guess money can’t buy happiness.

These collapsing marriages are just a drop in the bucket lately to all the other celebrity couples calling it quits. And not only are these couples entering splitsville, they are bringing hell along for the ride. Paul McCartney and Heather Mills just wrapped up a lengthy divorce proceeding where tempers flared and nasty allegations flew; at the end Mills walked away with a settlement of $47.5 million and celebrated by dumping water on the head of McCartney’s lawyer at the final hearing. Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards also went through a messy divorce proceeding, and the hostility continues—even though Sheen has since remarried (Richards has commented on the ongoing feud by stating “the gloves are off.”) And at present, Christy Brinkley is going through divorce proceedings with husband Peter Cook after his affair with an 18 year-old surfaced. Brinkley has described this breakup as a “nightmare,” and is fighting for custody of the couple’s two children.

Even though these high-profile marriages have ended bitterly, each breakup ironically started with a press release stating “due to irreconcilable differences, we have decided to split amicably.” This issuance now appears to have been lip-service to appease the public, but it is possible to have an amicable divorce, regardless of fame or fortune. One way of doing this is through divorce mediation. The basic attitude marking divorce mediation is a focus on solving problems, not fighting the fight. It is a voluntary process which gives a divorcing couple the opportunity to make their own arrangements for their financial and personal future, while protecting themselves and their children from distress and the needless expense of litigation. Another way to ease the pain of a possible split, and is a good idea for all parties involved, is to set up a prenuptial agreement. A prenuptial lists all individually owned property, such as homes and businesses, family assets, savings accounts as well as debts, and specifies what will and will not remain individually-owned property after marriage. Prenuptial agreements also specify whether spousal support will be paid in the event of a divorce.

Thus, it is possible to split on amicable terms, and try to salvage what is left of a broken relationship. Not all divorces need to end in a dramatic mess—it’s best to leave that kind of production for the stage. To learn more about divorce mediation or prenuptial agreements, contact a Lead Counsel Divorce attorney in your area today.

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