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Break point?

18 November 2020 / Linda Lamb
Categories: Opinion , Family , Divorce
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Linda Lamb looks into reports of a recent surge in divorce enquiries & makes the case for ADR

Citizens Advice has highlighted a surge in requests for guidance on divorce searches over the summer lockdown. Already, there are disputes on social media between family lawyers claiming that this is false and others attest there has been a surge in new enquiries.

This sounds similar to the debate that happens every year between family lawyers about whether there is a surge in couples wanting to separate post-Christmas (the oft reported ‘Divorce Day’). From my own experience, and also the noise on the grapevine in family circles, the surge in divorces expected is true.

It seems credible that the chinks in family relationships would become more obvious when families have been forced to spend many months together without respite. We see this with the ‘silver splitters’, where there has been a recent increase in the number of long term partners seeking to split as they head into retirement. After facing every day together, some spouses realise

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