Divorce Applications Surge In January
January is the busiest month for divorce solicitors in Buckinghamshire, as the beginning of the year is the most likely time for married couples to seek a legal separation.
Relationship charity Relate revealed there is a 24 per cent increase in inquiries in January from those with marital problems, while support service Amicable also reported more than 40,000 people will look up ‘divorce’ online in the new year.
According to the Evening Standard, this figure is 25 per cent higher than throughout the rest of the year.
‘Divorce Day’ is historically the busiest day for lawyers handling legal separations; with this falling on the first Monday back to work after the Christmas break.
It is thought that families try to stay together for the children over holidays, but once this is over, many couples start looking ahead at the year and want to make a fresh start.
Speaking with the news provider, relationship counsellor at Relate Gurpreet Singh said Christmas is also when couples spend “intense time with each other” which can exacerbate problems that were already there.
“Anxieties come up and you get time to think and evaluate,” he noted, adding: “Most of the time you’re taking care of things rather than wondering what’s next in your life.”
While most families try to keep it together over the festive period, for some couples, even this is too difficult. According to figures from the Ministry of Justice, as many as 13 people even applied for a divorce online on Christmas Day.
What’s more, 455 online applications were made between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day this year, the government statistics showed.