January: a busy month for divorce
Tuesday 10th January 2012
January is notoriously busy for family lawyers, with more divorce related enquires than any other time of the year. This January is set to be no different, as couples re-assess their lives following the Christmas and New Year period.
The Ministry of Justice has released statistics from the DirectGov website, which shows that searches for 'divorce' or related terms are 71% higher in early January than in early December. Christmas is often a stressful time for couples and January can represent a time for change.
In general, the number of couples who get divorced is increasing. This is despite years of decreasing divorce rates; 2009 saw the lowest number of divorces for over 35 years. New data published by the Office for National Statistics shows that divorce rates in 2010 were up by 4.9 per cent on the previous year.
Concerned by such figures, Sir Paul Coleridge has launched a campaign to promote marriage. Sir Coleridge, a senior High Court Judge, has called on people to re-think their "re-cycling" attitude to relationships, especially when these involve children.
From April 2011 all couples seeking a divorce must attend an initial mediation session as an alternative method to the court process for settling disputes.
For more details of the mediation service provided by Ashfords, call 01823 23 2303.
Ashfords LLP is Authorised and Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. The information in this note is intended to be general information about English law only and not comprehensive. It is not to be relied on as legal advice nor as an alternative to taking professional advice relating to specific circumstances.
