The family-focus of Christmas is often followed in January with news of unhappy couples who decide to call it quits, leading to so-called Divorce Day, as family lawyers receive a surge of enquiries when they re-open after the break.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
And as the holiday season draws to a close, there are calls for greater support for couples, based on better understanding of outcomes.\u00a0 <\/p>\n
According to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the overall rates of divorce are continuing to fall.\u00a0 There were 111,169 divorces in 2014, a decrease of 3.1% compared with 2013 and 27% lower than 2003. <\/p>\n
Compared with data from 2004, divorce rates were lower for all age groups, except women aged 55 and over. As younger people look to be having fewer problems in the first decade of marriage, this has been attributed by ONS to higher numbers of couples cohabiting before marriage, with the suggestion that only the stronger relationships make it through to the wedding day.\u00a0 <\/p>\n
But those working at the front-line say the apparent improvement should not obscure the increasing difficulty faced by couples looking to separate.\u00a0 For although the process of securing a divorce is relatively straightforward, the associated negotiating over finances and children is proving an increasing challenge.\u00a0 <\/p>\n
Faced by the cuts to legal aid and higher Court fees \u2013 the cost of applying for a divorce increased from \u00a3410 to \u00a3550 in March 2016 – through to the difficulty in affording to set up two homes, many couples are turning to increasingly desperate measures. <\/p>\n
For some, it involves continuing to live together, even when officially separated, or even post-divorce, including so-called \u2018bird nesting\u2019 arrangements, where the children stay in the family home and the parents come and go.\u00a0 Others turn to online help or untrained intermediaries, only to discover later that they may have agreed financial or childcare outcomes that leave them at a significant disadvantage, when professional advice and representation could have reached a fairer outcome.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Unfortunately the workload of the family lawyer is not reducing; and dealing with problems arising from self-conducted negotiations, or where negotiations have been managed by an untrained intermediary, is becoming more common.\u00a0<\/p>\n
DIY can seem a sensible option when you\u2019re trying to keep the lid on costs and everyone is saying it\u2019s simple. And whilst it\u2019s true that the application process itself is relatively straightforward, that\u2019s only one small part.\u00a0 Nor is it fool-proof, and if you get it wrong it could lead to paperwork being sent back, which could mean additional court fees.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s tough sorting things out between the two of you when emotions are running high, but talking things through is the best way and having someone help you with those conversations is a good idea.\u00a0 They don\u2019t have to be a professional, but you should have expert input at some stage in the negotiations, to make sure that what you have agreed is fair, that neither party is pushing the other into a corner, and that it is in line with what you could expect as a reasonable outcome if you had gone to court.<\/p>\n
Ending a marriage is one of the toughest things anyone will ever deal with, and what\u2019s needed is a well-informed, collaborative approach.\u00a0 The couple, and anyone supporting or advising them, need to be focused on achieving an outcome through positive negotiation that is more talk, less war.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
At the time of year where many couples consider divorce, it’s important that they’re aware of all their options so they can reach a reasonable outcome.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":73,"featured_media":7975,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_joinchat":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[12357],"tags":[11984,8605,11983,8880,11985],"class_list":{"0":"post-5045","1":"articles","2":"type-articles","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-divorce-and-separation","8":"tag-bird-nesting-arrangements","9":"tag-children","10":"tag-divorce-day","11":"tag-office-for-national-statistics","12":"tag-self-conducted-negotiations"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n