Comedian Martin Lawrence and wife decide to divorce

Comedian Martin Lawrence and his wife have decided to hire divorce attorneys and amicably dissolve their brief marriage.

“Martin and Shamicka Lawrence have decided to divorce,” a rep for Lawrence told People magazine, “The couple has made a joint decision to part ways.”

Martin and Shamicka were married at their Beverly Hills home in July 2010 where the guest list included some notable players  like Denzel Washington and Eddie Murphy. The couple was together for 15 years prior to tying the knot. They have two daughters together, Amara and Iyana.

“Out of love and respect for one another we will continue to remain friends and raise our two beautiful daughters together,” the couple said in a statement.

This is the second marriage for Lawrence. He has a 16 year-old daughter with his first wife Patricia, who is now married to NFL Hall of Famer Emmett Smith.

Lawrence has just completed his sold-out comedy tour and finished a comedy pilot for CBS.

Even when a couple makes the mutual decision to divorce they will have a number of matters to settle such as how to divide assets and who will get primary custody of their children. A divorce lawyer can guide them through this process so they come up with a satisfactory settlement.

Some divorces are not amicable and deciding on how to split community property and child custody can become contentious issues. A divorce attorney will advise their clients on how to proceed if they cannot come up with a mutual agreement.