November 15, 2005

Contact: Cherie Kerr (714) 550-9900

LOS ANGELES CELEBRITY DIVORCE ATTORNEY DEBUTS NEW BOOK ON HOW TO WIN DIVORCE WARS

Peers Offer High Praise

Century City, Calif. - Stacy D. Phillips, celebrity divorce attorney and Certified Family Law Specialist, whose clients include Darryl Strawberry as well as the ex-wives of Axl Rose, Bernie Taupin and Jean Claude Van Damme, as well as many others, has released her first book "Divorce: It's All About Control-How to Win the Emotional, Psychological and Legal Wars." With a publishing date of November 15, 2005, on ExecuProv Press, the book comprehensively addresses a subject, according to Phillips, that is long overdue.

"Most relationships dissolve due to a struggle over control in one or more of what I term 'The Big Six'-categories," Phillips explains. "Two of those categories are money and children. When you consider the friction that prompted the split, and the tug of wars for control that preceded it, you can only imagine how the battle for control escalates when a couple takes it to the next level: divorce. I've yet to handle a divorce where control was not an issue or at issue."

Not just for divorcees, but any person going through an intimate-relationship breakup (the numbers are staggering for divorce alone at a dissolution rate of more than 50 percent among married couples), the new book is geared to help those struggling with control issues. "It is written to provide both an understanding of how control permeates the breakup process and also offers remedies to find balance and serenity-two commodities often non-existent during such a tumultuous time," Phillips explains.

In "Divorce: It's All About Control-How to Win the Emotional, Psychological and Legal Wars," Phillips kicks off each chapter with a look at both actual and hypothetical case situations that illustrate the most common "control" scenarios-the ones that typically start one or create all of the three divorce wars, often simultaneously.

As every chapter evolves, Phillips references each of her opening "scenarios" by explaining what has taken place from the control vantage point. She then goes on to instruct the reader on how handle similar situations-offering viable options of how to prevail, whether such a war is emotional, psychological or legal in nature. Phillips rounds out each chapter with insightful and personalized pop quizzes that gives each reader the personalized opportunity to evaluate his or her position in any or all of the control wars, and as a follow up, gets them to pinpoint positive resolutions to handling and ultimately winning each war.

"After twenty years of watching the fur fly, it was my mission to write a book that got to the heart of what makes a break up so agonizing and miserable and what one can do, in practical terms, to get through the split in one emotional, psychological and legal piece! It was also my goal to write a book that those going through the frustration and bewilderment of divorce could relate to," Phillips says. "I made a point of structuring the book so it would be a very private and personal experience." Throughout the self-help manual Phillips also provides plenty of encouragement showing the reader ways to become proactive in handling his or her divorce with good sense and dignity.

Phillips not only explains why control is an issue, but she also breaks down each of the three "Divorce War" categories-Emotional, Psychological and Legal-in explicit terms. She then goes on to discuss the "Internal Wars," (self-destructive behavior and what to do about it). She breaks out the differences in threats-Real, Implied and Imagined. Throughout the text, Phillips also manages to keep the reader's spirits intact. In fact, she also provides a chapter devoted solely to a "Top Ten" list of dos and don'ts, some of which are humorous. A pivotal chapter explores who is actually in "control:" the lawyer, the in-laws, the therapist, the children, the new girlfriend … the judge …and what to do to take back control if one has lost it. Naturally, she also covers how to select the right attorney. She winds down the lessons with the chapter, Getting, Gaining, Assuming and Maintaining Control. "Just because a person's divorce is final doesn't mean the anguish is over," Phillips states, "I have seen these control battles go on for years, thus another reason for writing the book: to help the reader cope, long term."

Stacy Phillips' book has already received accolades from peers and mental health professionals. "Stacy's book takes the guesswork out of why most divorces are so contentious," says fellow celebrity divorce attorney, Dennis Wasser (who has represented Tom Cruise, Steven Speilberg and many others) and helps the reader do something about it. Her messages are very straightforward and very much on point."

There are many others in the legal community who also have applauded Phillips' new book, including Harvey Levin, Executive Producer of "Celebrity Justice," who says the book "unscrambles the mysteries" for those coping with divorce. Author, Dr. Mark Goulston, a psychiatrist and author of The 6 Secrets of a Lasting Relationship: How to Fall in Love Again and Stay There, refers to the book with: "Don't get divorced without it!" Lisa Cohn, a contributing writer for The Chicago Tribune and co-author of One Family, Two Family, New Family: Stories and Advice for Stepfamilies says, "Read this book to protect yourself and your children of divorce!"

Phillips, 47, has been listed among an elite group of attorneys by Los Angeles Magazine and Super Lawyers Magazine (both for 2003 and 2004) and was named one of the "Top 50 Women Super Lawyers" in Southern California by Los Angeles Magazine and Super Lawyers Magazine in 2004 and named one of the "Top 50 Female Litigators in California" in 2003, 2004 and 2005 by the legal trade publication The Los Angeles Daily Journal, as well as one of southern California's most powerful women in law by The Los Angeles Business Journal. She enjoys the highest rating by the Martindale-Hubbell Registry and is included in the latest edition of Best Lawyers in America.

She is co-founder of Phillips, Lerner, Lauzon & Jamra, L.L.P.  Century City, a family law firm than handles all aspects of family law disputes. She has been commended for her work in co-authoring a California bill that allows victims of domestic violence to sue their abusers in civil court, as well as being recognized for her countless charitable works. Her awards and commendations tally in the dozens and she appears regularly on major television shows such as the "The Insider," "VHI," "E! Entertainment," "Access Hollywood," "Good Morning America" and the BBC, to name a few. She also is frequently quoted in major newspapers and magazines such as the Wall Street Journal, New York Post, Cosmopolitan, Redbook, the Chicago Tribune, Sacramento Bee, Entertainment Weekly and People magazine.

The book will be used as the workbook for her upcoming seminar and workshop series of the same title: Divorce: It's All About Control-How To Win the Emotional, Psychological and Legal Wars. Dates and cities where the classes will be held are soon to be announced.

Stacy D. Phillips
Phillips, Lerner, Lauzon & Jamra, L.L.P.
2029 Century Park East, Suite 1200
Los Angeles, CA 90067
Telephone: (310) 277-7117
E-mail Ms. Phillips