Not Such a Happy New Year for Some Couples

23 Jan 2020

The New Year isn’t always a happy time. January often sees a significant rise in the number of couples considering divorce.  In fact, the first working day of the year (this year it was the 6th January) has become known as ‘Divorce Day’ due to the number of enquiries received by organisations like Amicable and Relate and by family law firms like ours.

The Christmas and New Year period offers a chance for family time and relaxation – time for families and friends to get together and celebrate. Pressure of the season is however a well-known reason for disharmony and stress.  For some couples, the financial and domestic pressures of Christmas only serve to magnify difficulties, and the New Year offers a ‘fresh start’, sometimes involving separation.

As Family Law Practitioners our prime concern is always the care and well-being of our clients – especially where children are involved. Couples who are at a crossroads in their relationship might benefit from specialist guidance to see if there is any way back. Have they really reached the breaking point, the culmination of steady deterioration, or is this a crisis caused by a specific set of circumstances which could be retrieved?

Emma Hamilton Cole, partner and our Head of Family Law, is a member of Resolution, an organisation of solicitors across the UK committed to a non-confrontational approach to family law matters. At Williams Thompson, we can provide couples with all-important guidance and advice to help them decide on the next steps. We also offer a mediation service, so that, if couples feel they can no longer live together, we can help them face that decision in as amicable a way as possible, especially when dealing with highly emotive issues such as arrangements for children. We can help provide a way forward and have a constructive approach to the issues involved.

If you’re at a ‘crossroads’ and would like to know more about our family law services, contact us at enquiries@williamsthompson.co.uk or call 01202 484242.