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Why divorce enquiries to family law solicitors increase in August

Family law solicitors in Northern Ireland experience a significant increase in divorce enquiries towards the end of August every year.

Not unlike the start of the year, when the first Monday of January has become referred to in the media as ‘Divorce Day’, the end of the summer is another time in the year that family law solicitors see an annual pattern of increased enquiries about separation and divorce. There are a number of theories about the factors behind this seasonal increase, with many speculating that summer holidays can put the final breaking pressure on a relationship that was already full of cracks.

However, as with the increase in divorce enquiries in January, the end of August spike is more often than not about timing. It is often the case that the person making the call for legal advice from a divorce solicitor has been waiting for the right time, or the better time in the year to cause as minimum upset or disruption as possible.

And so, in the same way that people often wait for the Christmas holidays to pass in order to avoid awkward family get-togethers, many spouses will wait for the end of the summer so that the summer holidays are not ruined, or in some cases, so that older kids will have gone on to University and out of the family home. Christmas preparations start just a month or two after the end of the summer holidays so there are many people who will feel that their window for separation is closing before they have to wait until the following year.

A recent University of Washington study reveals that the trend is not just restricted to the UK, with solicitors in the US also experiencing an increase in divorce enquiries towards the end of August.

If you require legal advice about a potential separation or divorce from a family law solicitor in Northern Ireland contact Wilson Nesbitt solicitors in Belfast or Bangor by clicking here.

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