It may seem weird to call anything that has to do with divorce, traditional. But, the holiday season has traditionally been a time of low divorces as most elect to wait until after the holidays. This means that, traditionally, from the Jewish New Year in September, and ongoing through November and December the U.S. sees a divorce lull. While, January sees a rapid divorce increase. However, during these unprecedented times, it seems that even our traditions are changing, and the divorce lull normally seen this time of year has been destroyed.
Skyrocketing divorce filings
If the trend continues, this holiday season may be the busiest for divorces. Maybe it is the heightened anxiety and stress, or maybe it is the lack of big family functions, but the numbers do not lie. Data from the website, Legal Templates found a surge of 34% in spouses seeking a divorce this year. Another report from a search-engine data company, SEM Rush, discovered that searches for “file for divorce online” increased 95.86% from this same period last year. Industry experts throughout the divorce industry have also noted an uptick in cases over this time last year.
Contentious divorces may also be increasing
Several industry insiders have also noted that it seems that pandemic induced anger and stress are increasingly causing divorces to become contentious. This may be caused by arguments that stew under the same roof without any alone time, or disagreements on medical care, especially as it relates to children. Divergent viewpoints on schooling during these times as well can further cause splits that lead to calls for a divorce.
The key takeaway here for Rockville, Maryland and Washington, D.C., metro area residents is to call a divorce attorney soon in the process. Things can get complicated and heated quickly, but having the steady hand of an attorney protecting one’s interest will ensure that cooler heads will prevail and one is protected throughout the process.