According to statistics, those who have made the decision to divorce their partner tend to make the leap and contact legal professionals during the period which follows the festive season.
According to a report in the Evening Standard, solicitors and law firms brace themselves for an onslaught of enquiries regarding divorce proceedings as the festivities of December begin to draw to a close.
Commenting on this annual occurrence, Alison Hawes, a divorce and family lawyer at solicitors Irwin Mitchell, suggests people are eager to begin the new year with a clean slate.
“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 explains while reflecting on the number of marriage breakdowns seen by many families at the beginning of the year.
Remarking on the trend, Alison continues: “Every year we see a marked rise in enquiries and instructions in January from people who have decided that the time is right to separate from their partner.”
While some individuals purposely choose to wait until January to begin proceedings, others find themselves at breaking point following the Christmas period and realise they are no longer happy in their relationship.
“Many appointments will have been made in advance by people who were already planning to start the divorce process in the New Year, while others may have had a bad time over the holiday period and realised that they want to make a fresh start in January.”
Acknowledging the impact a divorce can have on any family with children, Irwin Mitchell have begun working with charity, Kids in the Middle, in an effort to support children whose parents are going through a divorce.
