Why ‘Divorce Monday’ is the busiest day of the year for family lawyers
It is not uncommon for couples to wait until January to unleash conflict and confrontation
With the decorations packed away for another year, the reality of being back to work upon us, and a less than healthy bank account to attend to, it's not difficult to understand why many suffer from the post-Christmas, January blues.
But did you know that the first working Monday of January sees huge numbers of people decide to call it a day on their marriages, so much so that the day has been renamed as 'Divorce Monday'?
Divorce inquiries soar in early January
After battling through the Christmas period and waiting until after the New Year, divorce lawyers experience a glut of inquires about divorce and separation on 'Divorce Monday'.
In fact according to a poll of 2,000 married couples, as many as one in five couple consider separating in January after staying together over the festive season.
Despite the surge of inquiries about divorce and separation following the stress and strain Christmas can put on many couples, according to data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) divorce rates are plateauing in the UK.
Divorce rates plateauing in the UK
An ONS report published in 2014 showed that the number of divorces in England and Wales in 2012 was 118,140. This was an increase of 0.5% since 2011.
Whilst the number of divorces might be plateauing in the UK, in January inquiries about divorce made to family lawyers remain high.
As Andrew Norbury, Head of family law at Slater and Gordon told The Independent:
"We've seen the number of inquiries double around this time and then in late January it tails off. Over the last two or three years I've noticed that people even inquire a little bit earlier between Christmas and New Year".
Of course there can be a big difference between the number of people inquiring about divorce and actually going through with the full procedure. As Norbury states it is the people he has seen previously who are more likely to go ahead with the full divorce proceedings.
"It is like it is becoming a New Year's resolution", said Norbury.
Although whilst many of the divorce inquiries solicitors are faced with in early January remain 'inquiries', we cannot ignore official statistics released by eDivorcePapers.com that show January has the highest number of legal break ups.
Christmas can of course be a huge financial burden to many families and worries about money is one of the most significant factors that lead to divorce.
It has also been noted that couples with children are more likely to wait until January to divorce as they struggle on with their spouse over the festive period to ensure their children have a good Christmas.
January is a time when many people are determined to make change and set resolutions, including, it seems, getting divorced.
If you are in a situation where you want advice about divorce or any element of family law get in touch with the friendly, experienced and professional team at Tracey Miller Family Law.
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