Laura A. Wasser

Wasser, lawyer to Angelina Jolie and Kim Kardashian, is working on a book about divorce in the 21st century.

"So many people say to me, 'If I knew then what I know now, I would have never played it that way,'" she said. "I'm trying to give them the benefit of my wisdom going back through the last 20 years."

Whether married, or same-sex couples raising children, or any other combination, she said, "We have moved into a new way of thinking about the family, and we have to look into different ways of splitting up those families."

The divorces of old, Wasser added, could go on for years, generating hundreds of thousands of dollars in attorney fees.

"This won't work for a generation that text messages each other about their custody plans or breaks up by changing the status on their Facebook," she said. "They are a faster-moving and savvy generation."

With divorce no longer the taboo it used to be, Wasser said, "We should be able to deal with it better."

Given the cutbacks in the family law system, she said litigants increasingly have to take matters into their own hands and should get their priorities in order.

"Your dollars are better spent working out custodial plans that will work for the children than arguing over the china you got for your wedding gift," Wasser said.

Her clientele has also included Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, Stevie Wonder and Maria Shriver. But Wasser is adamant that her book will not be a tell-all. In fact, she said she has turned down repeated media overtures, including reality shows.

"I get calls all the time because of the people I represent," Wasser said. "But I don't feel that it's appropriate morally, ethically or professionally to capitalize on my clients. I'm not interested in getting into the entertainment industry."

Rather, Wasser said, her first book will be a cautionary tale with some good stories and a message.

"Be the master of your own destiny and save your family," she said. "You can go through a split and be OK."

- PAT BRODERICK