Divorce Rates Rise in January

January 2010 is likely to once again be a busy month for divorce lawyers. The early part of January is traditionally when feuding couples finally decide to call it a day and instruct their solicitor to start divorce proceedings.

Is this really any surprise, given the stresses many couples place themselves under during the festive break? By the time Christmas arrives children are over excited, mum and dad have sunk into debt buying presents, not to mention all that food and drink, so tempers start to fray and disputes arise which, if the marriage is already under strain, can all too often lead to divorce.

Modern couples judge a marriage by the amount of quality time they spend together and this, together with all the other day to day pressures, contributes to making the Christmas and New Year holiday period possibly the worst time of year for some couples.

Of course it’s not just married couples who can suffer; cohabiting couples are just at much at risk of experiencing the same pressures. It’s thought our lifestyles play a major part on divorce rates, and the ‘all work and no play’ philosophy we seem to have adopted is a major factor on divorce and separation.

Lanyon Bowdler’s senior partner and head of the family team, Peter Flint says “anyone contemplating starting divorce proceedings should think carefully about the legal implications, and ensure they instruct a competent and experienced family lawyer. An experienced family solicitor can take an enormous amount of the stress and worry away from the divorce process, and allow individuals to focus on protecting the emotional welfare of their children.” Peter goes on to say “wherever possible, we encourage individuals to take advantage of a mediation service, as this is an excellent way of taking a balanced approach to achieving amicable solutions.”