South Bay Lawyer Ann Grant Wrote a Book to Simplify the Divorce Process

Life in the South Bay, for all intents and purposes, can look like a fairy tale from afar: amazing weather, beautiful people and gorgeous homes. Ann Grant, a corporate litigator for a prestigious Downtown Los Angeles law firm, and her husband were living such a life while raising their three children.

Things changed for many South Bay residents following the Great Recession of 2008, and the Grants were no exception. Simultaneously, Ann’s marriage unraveled and her prestigious corporate firm dissolved. Unbeknownst to her, it was just the beginning of what was to come.

Family law and corporate law are very different, and the protocols differ. Faced with a learning curve, she quickly familiarized herself with what it took to handle her own divorce. Ann spent the next seven years working on her divorce—two years to actually get divorced and an additional five years of court battles over custody and finances.

“I learned how to not just survive but thrive,” explains Ann, who refers to herself as a “divorce survivor.” She soon opened a family law practice in Manhattan Beach. “I made the decision to commit my career to helping others navigate the legal minefields and outsmart the system.”

She put her experience in book form with The Divorce Hacker’s Guide to Untying the Knot: What Every Woman Needs to Know about Finances, Child Custody, Lawyers, and Planning Ahead. The tome provides legal, financial and psychological expertise to help readers skillfully prepare and protect themselves. The book’s goal is to help women navigate the modern divorce proactively, efficiently and resiliently.

Ann also teamed up with like-minded professionals to create and host free Divorce Hacker workshops facilitated by a financial advisor, therapist and career counselor. “As I look out into the faces of the women in the audience, I see so much pain, fear and uncertainty,” explains panelist Linda K. Reeves, a licensed marriage and family therapist. “But as the content is shared and questions are answered, there is a shift. Then I see empowerment and confidence reflected in their faces, and the courageous energy in the room is almost palpable.”