Lockdown is causing rise in number of divorces
THE number of people looking to divorce has shot up during lockdown as ‘cracks begin to widen.’
Phillip Rhodes, family law partner at Slater Heelis, says the picture mirrors that seen following the financial crash of 07-08.
There has been a flurry of new enquiries at his Sale and Timperley based firm, as well as requests to push ahead with divorces from those who have been in touch in the past, he claims.
Nationally, the number of completed divorces in the UK, 27,888 in total, was up 16 per cent between January and March 2020 on the same period last year.
Figures for the last three months, covering lockdown, are not yet available, but earlier this month, another law firm, Co-op Legal Services, reported a 42pc surge in divorce enquiries since the restrictions began.
Mr Rhodes said: “It’s definitely something we’ve noticed.
“When lockdown was first announced people put a hold on things, people at the outset of the process, and that continued for the first couple of weeks.
“But after that it really picked up, not just for those who had enquired before lockdown and decided that they were now ready to push things forward, but there has been a spike in new enquiries.”
“It’s widely known there are seasonal trends to divorce rates; after Christmas, after the summer holidays as people are stuck together, tensions rise,” Mr Rhodes added.
“But the situation we’re in now with lockdown, it’s been longer than the summer holidays. Lockdown is exacerbating already difficult situations and cracks are starting to widen.
“Lockdown for this length of time has created an atmosphere which has proved difficult for people.”
In 2018, across the UK there were 7.5 divorces per 1,000 married men and women, or 90,871 individual opposite sex couples getting a divorce in total – this was the lowest it had been in almost 50 years.
But back in 2008, after the financial crash, the figure stood at 121,708 individual divorces, or 11.2 per 1,000 married men and women.
Economic uncertainty and domestic stress appear to be driving demand for divorces now, as they did 12 years ago, while some people see downturns as a ‘good time to divorce.’
Mr Rhodes said: “We’ve had two people this week alone, who own their own businesses, getting in touch as their shares or their family’s house price have dropped down in value – they want to act quickly to take advantage of lesser settlement values.”
Oliver is a former client of Philip Rhodes. He went through a divorce a while ago and acknowledged it can be a stressful time.
For those embarking on the process, he said: “Make sure you’ve got some good friends or family around you because however strong you believe you are, and however much you believe it won’t bother you, it will!
“And it’ll also put a massive strain on any other relationship that you may have during this time. It’s not just you and your ex-partner that go through the emotional stress, it’s also everyone that is close to you. I know from my own experience that my dad had many a sleepless night worrying about me and my divorce.”
At the same time, lockdown has meant a number of divorce proceedings have been ‘kicked into the long grass,’ Mr Rhodes claims
“(Family courts) had to prioritise the most urgent cases, most likely where children were at risk of abuse,” he told the M.E.N.
“They’re recommending couples look at alternative routes of settlement – mediation or arbitration, which can often work out cheaper and that’s something family lawyers are wholeheartedly supporting.”
A mediator himself, he said: “It’s a fantastic way of resolving things quicker, it’s so flexible and can work out a lot cheaper. Sometimes couples can agree things that the courts simply can’t order.”
The solicitor says there is talk that courts won’t be back to some semblance of normality until at least the end of this year, or perhaps as late as spring 2021.
He believes the uptick in enquiries is well timed, with Government reforms to divorce law going through parliament.
The proposed changes would bring in a new ‘no fault’ divorce clause, meaning blame does not have to be placed for a couple’s separation on one party or the other.
Mr Rhodes said: “It can be painful enough going through a divorce, but having to apportion blame creates problems where they didn’t exist before.”