Divorce- A Lesson from Tom Cruise

Photo by Jay Tamboli

The divorce of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes hit the media by surprise. (By many accounts it hit Tom by surprise as well.) With drawn-out ugly divorces commonplace in Hollywood, the swift dissolution of the Cruise-Holmes marriage is an example of smart strategy and excellent council. Seattle divorce attorney Rick Jones recently appeared on The Danny Bonaduce Show where he commented on two possible factors contributing to the swift split between Cruise and Holmes.  Jones cited privacy and a prenuptial agreement as key pieces paving the road for the rapid agreement of the divorce and custody terms.

These two pieces hold a lesson to be learned from Mr. Tom Cruise.  First the privacy —having a vast entertainment empire, considerable wealth, and notoriety, it is understandable that Mr. Cruise didn’t want the details of his life sprawled out for the world to see. His family law attorneys acted as his first line of defense in protecting his privacy. With the help of expert attorneys, he was able to negotiate terms that preserved his privacy and safeguarded his interests.

The second lesson is the prenup. In the divorce of Holmes and Cruise a prenuptial agreement was in place. This means that a large percentage of the division of asset decisions were already outlined— streamlining negotiations.

If you have found yourself considering dissolving your marriage, it’s possible that a prenuptial agreement is not something that you had ever thought you would need. And now, with divorce on the horizon, it might appear to be a moot point. But it shouldn’t be overlooked. Remember Mimi Rodgers, Tom Cruise’s first wife? You can bet your bottom dollar that during and after the split between himself and his first wife, Mr. Cruise quickly shored up his assets against future relationships — which came in handy during his divorce with Nicole Kidman. When Cruise proposed to Holmes, there is little doubt it was with an engagement ring in one hand and a prenuptial agreement in the other.