January Blues is No Myth Says Divorce Lawyer

Posted on December 20, 2017

It’s no myth that the first day back at work after the Christmas break is known by divorce lawyers as ‘divorce day’. It’s their busiest day of the year and with the divorce rate going up for the first time in 10 years, they are expecting a busy start to 2018.

Historically January is the most popular month for divorce post Christmas, if couples have stayed together for the children or are simply ready to make a new start and a clean break. Figures released by the Office of National Statistics for 2017 show that there were 106,959 divorces of opposite-sex couples in 2016, an increase of 5.8 per cent compared with 2015, with men and women getting divorced at a rate of 8.9 per 1,000 married people - up 4.7 per cent.

“January 1 is the day of the resolutions but rather than bursting into our offices and expecting to be divorced before Valentines Day, I urge clients to take a breather, step back and consider their lives, their finances, their children and perhaps look at other solutions to the problem”, said Tracy Crompton, of the Pearson Solicitors family team.

“In addition to the traditional Court route, we are also collaborative law specialists, where we sit together and discuss the future plans of the couple with them avoiding Court”, she added.

However, for both men and women, the recent statistics state that it’s with the over-50s where the rate of divorce increased by most last year.

More than 13,000 women aged 55 and above divorced in 2016, while for men the figure was 19,454 - both double-digit percentage rises in rates per married population and raw numbers compared to 2015.

“It makes a lot of sense for January to be the month when changes are made,” said Tracy. “People are ready to make new resolutions and decide that they are not willing to go through the same unhappiness they have gone through the year before and our older divorcing couples are no different – for them sometimes it’s when the children have left home and their lives go in different directions”.

“Sadly, the January divorce spike is no myth as people generally feel that the New Year offers a new start for them and their family”, she added.

For advice on your future and information on impending divorce, call Pearson Solicitors Family team on 0161 785 3500 or email enquiries@pearsonlegal.co.uk.

Please note that the information and opinions contained in this article are not intended to be comprehensive, nor to provide legal advice. No responsibility for its accuracy or correctness is assumed by Pearson Solicitors and Financial Advisers Ltd or any of its members or employees. Professional legal advice should be obtained before taking, or refraining from taking, any action as a result of this article.

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