James Sexton

Sexton graduated from Fordham Law School with a Juris Doctor and also holds a Master of Arts from New York University, where his graduate studies focused on persuasive speech and propaganda; he was sworn in as an attorney in Brooklyn, New York, in 2001 and has since focused his practice on divorce and family law.⁠[1]

On April 10, 2018, Henry Holt and Co. published his first book, If You’re in My Office, It’s Already Too Late: A Divorce Lawyer’s Guide to Staying Together.⁠[2]

The publisher describes how, after dealing with more than a thousand clients whose marriages dissolved, he reverse-engineers what keeps relationships working, tracing most marital problems to dishonest or nonexistent communication; former clients described him as a “courtroom gunslinger.”⁠[2]

That month he said the core of his advice is to stay connected and keep communicating with one’s spouse, and to be painfully honest about what is going on in one’s heart and head.⁠[3]

He recalled that the idea for the book came when a woman at a party remarked that a divorce lawyer must know a lot about how people ruin marriages; he warned couples that social media can breed infidelity.⁠[4]

By then he had long experience negotiating and litigating high-conflict divorces.⁠[5]

He argued that couples need “a conversation about how to have the conversation,” saying of accumulating small grievances that “no single rain drop is responsible for the flood.”⁠[6]

In December 2018 he said clients come to him for big reasons such as infidelity or financial impropriety, but that these originate in a series of small choices that pull spouses apart; he called Facebook an “infidelity-generating machine.”⁠[7]

His firm’s website says that from 2018 to 2020 he had a recurring “How To Stay Married” segment on Steve Harvey’s daytime talk show Steve, spanning about a dozen episodes.⁠[8]

In December 2019 Henry Holt reissued his first book as a 288-page paperback titled How to Stay in Love: Practical Wisdom from an Unexpected Source.⁠[9]

The publisher’s description quotes Judith Newman of The New York Times Book Review remarking that the person giving the best advice about marriage turns out to be the one responsible for getting people out of theirs.⁠[10]

His firm’s website says that a 2023 Soft White Underbelly interview with him drew more than 5.5 million YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is Google’s video-sharing and creator platform, founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim and acquired by Google in 2006. Built around video uploading, viewing, and creator earnings, the platform has developed Shorts, YouTube Music, Premium, YouTube TV, and products for children, and is headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States.Open the full entry views within four months.⁠[8]

In September 2023 he appeared on episode #396 of the Lex FridmanLex FridmanLex Fridman is a Soviet-born, US-raised computer scientist and podcast host who works as an MIT research scientist on human-AI interaction and autonomous driving. His Lex Fridman Podcast is known for hours-long conversations with guests including heads of state and technology leaders.Open the full entry Podcast, introduced as a divorce attorney and author; the outline covers why marriages fail, breakups, Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, the cost of divorce, prenups, cheating, Kevin Costner’s divorce, lying and jiu-jitsu.⁠[11]

On November 18, 2024, the online prenuptial agreement platform HelloPrenup, founded by family lawyer Julia Rodgers, announced that he had joined as a strategic adviser to help guide its growth; in a statement he said prenups can be an opportunity for connection and open communication before marriage.⁠[12]

In 2025 he launched a YouTube channel featuring the original shows Better Call Sexton and Sexton versus Sexton.⁠[8]

By April 2025 he was discussing love and divorce in online videos in a blunt, no-nonsense style, with his podcast clips and TikTok channel drawing millions of views.⁠[13]

On July 17, 2025, his book was published in the United Kingdom as How Not to F*ck Up Your Marriage by FlightStory Books under Ebury, with an audiobook read by Sexton himself.⁠[14]

TrustedPrenup.com, an online prenuptial agreement service developed with him, offers a guided questionnaire, e-signature and online notarization for a flat fee of $599, and in August 2025 launched a “Gift a Prenup” feature letting family and friends give a prenup to an engaged couple.⁠[15]

In March 2026 a luxury gift bag worth more than $65,000 tied to the 98th Academy Awards included a customized prenuptial agreement from TrustedPrenup, which he founded; Australian family lawyer Stacey Dowson called the idea “very American,” said Australian lawyers face more professional obligations in how they conduct themselves in public, and added that a prenup is always a good idea.⁠[16]

His personal website presents him as a divorce lawyer, bestselling author and host of Better Call Sexton, and links to TrustedPrenup.com and the legal workflow tools platform Batesflow.com.⁠[17]

Personal website: Public link: https://www.sextonshow.com/ (opens in a new window)⁠[17]

X: Public account: https://x.com/nycdivorcelaw (opens in a new window)⁠[17]

YouTube: Public channel: https://www.youtube.com/@sextonshow (opens in a new window)⁠[17]

Law Offices of James J. Sexton: Official website: https://nycdivorces.com/ (opens in a new window)⁠[11]