Bristol’s family and divorce lawyers are bracing themselves for another hectic month as the New Year period is traditionally one of the busiest for inquiries.
The first full week of the New Year is particularly busy as couples who have spent time together over Christmas decide to split or separated parents fail to return their children to their ex-spouses after the holidays.
Last January the family team at national law firm Irwin Mitchell’s Bristol office received 10% more instructions than an average month while divorce inquiries were up 25%.
Specialist lawyers at the firm already have appointments booked with clients who have been considering an official break-up for months and see the New Year as the ideal time to make a new start.
Family lawyers also expect to receive a number of ‘distress’ calls from people who have had a turbulent festive period with their partner and from parents having had issues with contact with their children over Christmas.
Alison Hawes, an expert family and divorce lawyer at Irwin Mitchell’s Bristol office, said: “It’s a sad fact that in January many divorce lawyers have their busiest period, but it is a myth that everyone who comes to see us has made a sudden decision to split over the Christmas holidays.
“While there will be a number of distress calls from people who have suffered from problems such as extreme arguments and contact with children, the majority of people who contact us will do so calmly having been thinking about the decision for a while.
“In most cases it is not an easy decision for people to contact a divorce lawyer but they see the New Year as a chance to make a new start and many may have already spoken to lawyers informally over the past few months.
“Reasons for divorce vary widely whether people have had a difficult Christmas period, have been planning a break-up for months or perhaps older couples growing apart due to empty-nest syndrome. January often brings the promise of a fresh life away from whatever problems they may have faced before.”
Around half the100,000-plus divorces in the UK each year involve children. As a result, Alison says, most clients start the process with an emphasis on separating amicably.
“There is desire from every direction to see divorces carried out in a fair and amicable manner,” she said. “Family law judges are very keen for couples, especially parents, to try to resolve disputes before resorting to court proceedings.
“All relationships are different and each individual divorce or separation has different issues whether amicable or not. The important thing is to seek professional advice early so that the right course of action can be agreed, especially where children are involved.”
Irwin Mitchell has offices in Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds, London, Manchester, Newcastle, and Sheffield as well as Bristol.
