Divorce: Katie Holmes Style

The divorce between Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes took a lot of people by surprise — including Tom Cruise. It will be remembered as one of the speediest and less “messy” battles in Hollywood history.  So how did Katie Holmes manage it and what can we learn?

Divorce attorney Mckinley Irvin believes the main thing is to plan before you act.

“Katie was prepared for her divorce. Instead of rushing into a divorce filing, Holmes took several steps to ensure her divorce from Cruise would proceed predictably.”

Get advice from a professional. Before taking any action, Holmes consulted with a lawyer. Luckily for Holmes, her father is a lawyer.

Determine the logistics of the divorce filing. Holmes needed to decide the best state in which to file her divorce from Cruise. Cruise and Holmes spent significant time in California and New York, so both were an option. It’s obvious that Holmes and her divorce attorneys did their homework — her decision to file in New York was likely due to how New York family law treats the issue of child custody and visitation, and perhaps other issues in the divorce important to Katie.

Come up with an action plan. Think through the next 10 steps so you can plan for them once things get tough.  Katie did this to manage the PR fallout, but you can do the same to manage how you break the news to family and friends not to mention your bank balance.

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