Katy Perry and Russel Brand found staying out of court appealing for many reasons
Some celebrities manage to keep their divorces outside the courts. Sure, they have to file paperwork to legalize their divorce, but we don’t hear about any courtroom drama.
Two celebrities who did that are 28 year old pop singer Katy Perry and her husband of 18 months, 36 year old British comedian and actor, Russell Brand. They reached a divorce agreement and submitted it to the court. Sorry celeb afficionados, there’ll be no photos of Katy and Russell walking in and out of the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in LA with their lawyers.
Katy Perry and Russell Brand’s divorce had the potential makings of a high asset divorce – the kinds that’s brewing with paparazzi fodder. We didn’t see any of that. Why? Word on the block is that Russell didn’t want any of Katy’s money, so it was easy to reach an agreement and stay out of court.
But how can couples stay out of court when they have big disagreements? One way is through Collaborative Law – a process where parties and their respective attorneys commit to resolving their disagreements without going to court. While agreements may be reached quickly in some cases and slower in others, the prospect of staying out of court is appealing on different levels: the private business of your life doesn’t get discussed in a public courtroom or put into a public file, you don’t have to wait for months before you get a preliminary hearing date at which a judge makes decisions for you, you avoid the emotional trauma of “duking it out in court,” and in a lot of cases, you end up paying less in attorney’s fees.
While I don’t personally follow celebrities closely, to those of them who set the example of a low-drama, discrete divorce – thanks for the cue.
– Armine Baltazar, Senior Collaborative Law Partner.
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George Clooney and Talia Balsam
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Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones
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Katy Perry and Russel Brand
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Katy Perry and Russel Brand
Ms. Armine Baltazar is an experienced Mediator and highly skilled Collaborative Family Law Attorney.
Armine was born in Bucharest, Romania, but was raised in the Los Angeles area since the age of three. She graduated from UCLA, Summa Cum Laude, with a Political Science degree. Armine went on to attend the UCLA School of Law. During law school, Armine Baltazar excelled in her studies, receiving the American Jurisprudence Award in Constitutional Law.
After graduating from UCLA Law , Ms. Baltazar practiced corporate finance law at a large firm in New York . Dissatisfied with the impersonal nature of corporate practice, Ms. Baltazar turned to family law and has been practicing family law since 1999. She is currently a principal at the family law firm of Hammers & Baltazar, LLP, with offices in Santa Monica and Newport Beach, California.
Ms. Baltazar is currently a member of;
• International Association of Collaborative Law Professionals,
• Family Law Sections of the State Bar of California and
• Los Angeles County Bar Assocaition,
• Los Angeles Collaboriative Family Law Association and the
• Los Angeles Westside Collaborative Divoce Professionals.
• Ms. Baltazar, has appeared on the CBS evening news for her legal commentary with regard to family law.
Armine is a graduate of the American Bar Association’s Family Law Trial Advocacy Institute. Although primarily involved with family law litigation, Ms. Baltazar prides herself on her and the firm’s increasingly growing practice in the fields of mediation and collaborative law. Armine has received training as a mediator and a collaborative law attorney.
Areas of Practice:
80% Dissolution
20% Paternity
Litigation Percentage:
60% of Practice Devoted to Litigation
40% of Practice Devoted to Collaborative Law and Mediated Settlements
Bar Admissions:
California, 1997
U.S. Court of Appeals 7th Circuit, 1997
Education:
University of California at Los Angeles School of Law, Los Angeles, CA J.D.
Honors: American Jurisprudence Award for Constitutional Law
University of California, Los Angeles, 1993 B.A Honors: Summa Cum Laude
California State University Northridge, Northridge, 1999 Honors: Dean’s List
Professional Associations and Memberships:
California State Bar Association Member,
Family Law Section Co-Chair of Custody Committe, South 2008 – 2009 Vice Chair of Custody Committee, South, 2007 – 2008
Former member of Financial Issues Committee
Los Angeles County Bar Association Member, Family Law Section
Los Angeles Collaborative Family Law Association Member
Los Angeles Westside Collaborative Divorce Professionals Member
International Association of Collaborative Professionals Member
Past Employment Positions:
Skadden
Arps
Slate
Meagher & Flom, Associate, 1997 – 1998
Languages:
English
Armenian
Romanian
