Celebrity Divorce Lawyer Wants to Remove This Stigma When Marriages End

No one gets married anticipating that one day they'll divorce, and the process is often extremely painful for couples to navigate. But one expert on the subject thinks that by doing away with a common phrase, it could be that much less traumatic.

Laura Wasser, whose high-profile clients include Kim Kardashian, Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp, and Ariana Grande, told People in an exclusive interview that the term "failed marriage" is an outdated way that people still stigmatize divorce. Because on top of the heartbreak of a marriage coming to an end, there's also the insinuation that the partners failed in some way, or that they could have tried harder.

The fact of the matter is that—although rates are falling—approximately 50 percent of all marriage end in divorce, so the dissolution of a marriage should be treated less like an anomaly and more like are unfortunate, yet inevitable part of many people's lives.

"The term 'failed marriage' implies like, 'Oh, you just couldn't make it work. You failed," Wasser explained to the publication. "You couldn't keep 'em around.' And I think the term 'failed marriage' is something that is something we should kind of try to get out of our vocabulary."

"It's not a failure, it's a marriage that ran its course," she reasoned. "You likely took some great things from it, and hopefully you're able to extricate yourself in a way where your spouse is still a friend, still a family member. If you have kids, you're going to be dealing with that person not just until your kids turn 18, but probably for the rest of your life. So figure out a way to make it so that it isn't a failure, but rather that it's just an evolution or a change or next chapter."

However, Wasser does concede that breakups are difficult, and it's only natural to be sad or have hurt feelings when separating from a spouse.

"I get it. Breakups are sad," she continued. "I was just at a wedding and they're so happy and there's so much hope when people are starting a life together. So it's the opposite of that. The breakdown of a marriage isn't exactly fun or something to be celebrated."

"But at the same time, you have to weigh that against, 'Do I want to stay in a relationship where i'm not evolving?' Where we're not happy, we're not making each other happy, and we're perhaps damaging our kids by virtue of our interactions in front of them?" Wasser added. "Sometimes it's just not working out. The good thing is, we now have so many more tools and resources at our disposal."

Coincidentally, Wasser's affirmation comes on the heels of January, which is widely considered to be "divorce month" due to the uptick in divorce applications and proceedings. In a previous interview with The New Yorker, Wasser said that Americans' views on marriage are evolving as a whole.

"They say the law is always the last thing to change. We are definitely seeing fewer people getting married, or people getting married older. More families are having children without necessarily getting married, and then, of course—and I think this is great—we’re seeing [blended] families," she said. "I do think that the way people perceive marriage and family has changed, and, for my purposes, what I would love to have happen is to be able to effectuate that in terms of family law."