Stacy D. Phillips ’80

On handling Hollywood divorces—and saving Britney Spears

"I'm looking at a custody evaluation for Kevin Federline and Britney Spears, my client through her conservators. I agreed to take the case because it was an opportunity to work with some amazing people in the probate and family law courts. I thought we could save a life—give her a life."

"When I got the Britney case I got so many notes from people saying, 'If anybody can help, you can.' I know we're making a difference."

"I didn't want to do something just because somebody else in my family did it. In high school I kept saying 'I don't want to go to Dartmouth.' When my parents brought me up to look at the place, they left me and walked away. I spent the day hanging out with one of the heads of Green Key and I fell in love with the place. How could you not?"

"Sophomore summer was my absolute favorite term."

"I got into family law by accident—and against the advice of one of my dad's partners. I was sick of big lecture classes and looked for a more interactive elect course. The subject matter could have been 'hot dog law.' I picked the class called family law because you got to negotiate, draft, videotape and participate in a mock trial—in a real court with real judges. I also took a companion lecture class taught by a law professor, a tax professor, a social worker and a psychiatrist. That was fun."

"Divorce is always painful, but if you have two people who are really focused on doing it politely with respect, you can have a difference of opinion without making it personal"

"The first thing I say to clients is, 'Can I refer you to a marital therapist? I'd rather keep your marriage together.'"

"I will not take a case or I will fire a client if I think they're doing something that will hurt a child. I once fired a client because there were custody issues, and something didn't sit right with me. Two years later she killed herself and her three kids."

"There isn't the societal pressure to stay together in Hollywood that there is in some other parts of the country."

"I've had to tell a client, 'lf you walk by the newsstands today you'll see magazine covers of your ex and his girlfriend romping in the surf.' Or call a client to say, 'Your ex is pregnant.'"

"Some celebrities don't want privacy. I had one opposing client say, 'There's no such thing as bad press unless you look ugly or fat.'"

"I would go nuts if I represented only women or only men because their needs are completely different. Often the man who's an earning spouse is used to snapping his fingers and telling people what to do and making decisions fairly quickly. Women, if non-earning spouses, tend to need more time."

"In the case of Jean-Claude Van Damme's ex-wife I got the highest child support award in the country in a litigated matter, and one of the highest spousal support awards at that time. That was a cool moment."

"I tease some of my male clients, 'lf you're a guy who can't stand being alone you can get a housekeeper, you can get a secretary, you could even hire a prostitute and it would cost you a lot less than getting married again. You can have a girlfriend. You can even wine and dine and buy jewels for the girlfriend.' "

"I used to have clients ask, 'Have you ever been divorced?' I'd say, 'No,' and they would say, 'Then you don't know what this is like.' Now, after my own [2005] divorce I know you can feel very disoriented. I can also share my experience as to what works with custody."

"I am a believer in pre-nups in three instances: when you are going to inherit money, when you have children to take care of, and when you've been married before and you don't want to give your money away twice. Some folks listen and some don't. Some regret it, some don't. Will I have one when I remarry? No."

"I'd enjoy being a judge, but I've got a child about to go to Dartmouth and a child who's in private school, so I'm not taking a pay cut any time soon.

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS: Ranked by Lawdragon as one of 500 leading lawyers in America; consistently named one of best lawyers in Los Angeles and California by legal and regional publications; recipient of numerous civic awards; author of Divorce: It's All About Control—How to Win the Emotional, Psychological and Legal Wars (2005); with her parents, funds an award given annually by the Dartmouth Ethics Institute CAREER: Founding and managing partner, Phillips, Lerner, Lauzon & Jamra LLP, Los Angeles, California (previously Law Offices of Stacy D. Phillips), 1990-present; other L.A. firms, 1984-90; federal law clerk, 1983-84 EDUCATION: A.B., history and religion; J.D., Columbia University School of Law, 1983 FAMILY: Father Gerald F. Phillips '47, Tu '47, uncle Howard W. Phillips '51, Tu'52. Engaged to Tom Holliday; mother of Alison, 13, and Andrew Bloomgarden '12