Angelina Jolie is the latest in a string of celebrities to have reportedly hired renowned Hollywood lawyer Laura Wasser in her divorce from Brad Pitt.
Wasser, known as the Disso Queen for her expertise in dissolving high-profile marriages, is one of the most famous celebrity divorce lawyers in Hollywood, having represented the likes of Johnny Depp, Kim Kardashian, Ashton Kutcher and Britney Spears.
The 48-year-old intellect is the daughter of two lawyers, with her father being celebrity divorce lawyer Dennis M Wasser, whose past clients include Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg.
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© Photo: Getty ImagesAngelina Jolie has reportedly hired Hollywood lawyer Laura Wasser in her divorce from Brad Pitt
Born in Beverly Hills, Wasser studied at the University of California, Berkeley before she received her law degree from Loyola Law School in 1991.
After graduating, she passed the State Bar of California in 1994 and then a year later she joined the firm her father co-founded, Wasser, Cooperman & Mandles - where she still practises.
As well as her $850-an-hour rates, Bloomberg claims Wasser charges a retainer of $25,000 (£17,000) and “rarely represents people who have less than $10 million”.
© Photo: Getty ImagesBrad and Angelina announced on Tuesday that they were splitting after two years of marriage and a 12 year romance
During her time at Loyola, Wasser married but the relationship broke down after one year and she filed the divorce papers herself once she completed her bar.
The well-respected attorney is a mother to two boys from separate relationships, but she did not marry the fathers and she previously told interviewers she has no plans to tie the knot again.
"The truth is that I haven’t found anybody who could give me a good enough reason to get married again," she told The Telegraph in 2013.
"I love being in love - nobody loves a good wedding more than I do - and I do believe that if you go into it with your eyes open and good communication skills, then your marriage could last a long time. But if it doesn’t, just cut your losses and move on."
© Photo: Getty ImagesWasser was also employed by Jolie when she filed for divorce after her three-year marriage to Billy Bob Thornton ended
Named Laura Allison Wasser by her parents in order to make her initials spell out the word LAW, the lawyer has also written a book, It Doesn’t Have to Be That Way: How to Divorce Without Destroying Your Family or Bankrupting Yourself.
Elsewhere, Wasser was previously employed by Jolie when she filed for divorce after her three-year marriage to Billy Bob Thornton ended - which was also four months after she adopted her son, Maddox Jolie-Pitt.
Brad and Angelina announced on Tuesday that they were splitting after two years of marriage and a 12 year romance. Angelina filed for divorce on Monday, citing irreconcilable differences.
The 41-year-old actress has asked for physical custody of the couple's six children - Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh and twins Vivienne and Knox - and requested that Brad, 52, be granted child visitation rights and joint legal custody.
