The First Quarter of the Year Is Divorce Season
This year, Divorce Monday has come and gone, but divorce season is still in full swing. You may have heard the statistic that more people file for divorce and set up initial consultations with divorce lawyers on the first business Monday of the year than any other day. This year, Divorce Monday was January 4, but in years when New Year’s Day, a federal holiday, falls on a Monday, Divorce Monday is January 8. This does not mean, however, that there is only one day of the year when everyone decides to get divorced; in fact, the whole first three months of the year are peak season for divorce filings. If you want to participate in this year’s divorce season, there is still time, but even if you decide to wait until the off-season, a Palm Beach County divorce lawyer will be here to answer your questions.
Why Do More People Divorce at the Beginning of the Year?
According to Claire Nowak of Reader’s Digest, January sees more new divorce filings than any other month of the year, but the surge in divorce filings actually lasts until late March. Part of this is because of the residual effects of Divorce Monday. People contact a divorce lawyer for the first time on Divorce Monday, but between one or more consultations with lawyers and discussions with their spouse about whether uncontested divorce is a possibility, sometimes it is March before either spouse files a divorce petition.
These are some other reasons why people might file for divorce in February or March:
- Your spouse made a New Year’s resolution to break a marriage-destroying habit (such as compulsive shopping or online flirtation), and the resolution fell apart after a few weeks.
- Valentine’s Day convinced you that your romance was beyond repair.
- Holiday season conflicts weakened your already shaky marriage, but conflict over taxes during tax season cemented your decision to divorce, since you and your spouse have widely divergent values about money.
The Right Time to Divorce Depends on Your Family’s Unique Situation
Just because a lot of people file for divorce before the spring equinox, it does not mean that you and your spouse have to. Most people do not contact divorce lawyers on a whim; they have known for months, if not years, that their marriage was over, and they were just waiting for the right time to file for divorce. January is a popular month for divorce filings because it enables you to make a clean break between tax years, but your practical considerations in deciding when to divorce could be different. Some couples prefer to separate in the summer, when the children are not in school. If you feel ready to talk to a divorce lawyer, then now is the right time to get a lawyer involved in the discussions.
Contact Us for Help
A Boca Raton divorce lawyer can help you make a strategic decision about when to file a divorce petition and about whether uncontested divorce is an option for you. Contact Schwartz | White for a consultation.
Resource:
rd.com/article/january-divorce-month/
