She and Him singer Zooey Deschanel recently filed for divorce from her husband Ben Gibbard. The 31-year-old singer and actress is currently at the peak of her career. She was nominated for a Golden Globe award for her role on the TV series New Girl and has starred in several movies recently. Ben Gibbard is best known as the lead singer of the band Death Cab for Cutie.

Although Deschanel claims to have irreconcilable differences with Gibbard, she insists that the divorce is amicable. Amicable divorces are more common now than in the past and many couples divorcing in places like New York and Florida have to properly establish preliminary requirements for a divorce including separation.

"We're friendly, It's all fine," the actress said of her divorce in a recent People Magazine interview.

The feelings between the couple may be friendly, but that hasn't stopped an increasing amount of media coverage of this divorce. Most of the media coverage is fueled by the exposure of Zooey Deschanel's financial information. In an apparent mistake, Deschanel's attorney attached her financial information to public court filings. Celebrity gossip site TMZ quickly picked up on the filing and various media outlets have analyzed the numbers. This incident highlights the importance of hiring an attorney who is experienced with dealing with all aspects of a divorce to protect your privacy in the court and mediation process.

Mediation is a growing part of many divorce proceedings. Mediation allows a couple to negotiate settlements outside of the courtroom. It is important to consider hiring an attorney who is capable of both effectively negotiating in a mediation session and aggressively pursuing your interests inside of court.

Source: Daily Mail, "Newly single Girl: Now Zooey Deschanel files for divorce from estranged husband Ben Gibbard," Laura Schreffler and Iona Kirby, Jan. 5, 2012