The 3rd January has for a number of years now been unofficially christened national divorce day in England due to the number of enquiries family solicitors receive from individuals seeking a divorce.

In fact January typically sees more than double the usual number of divorce enquiries than during other months.

Lisa Pepper, divorce lawyer at Osbornes comments:

"It is true that during this time of year family departments across the country do see the number of divorce related enquiries increase. This peak is attributed to the strain of spending time together over the holiday or the fact that many spouses wanting to divorce will hang on until after Christmas to avoid upsetting their families at what is meant to be a "special time of year".

This year however sees a campaign being launched to promote marriage and reverse the "appalling impact of family breakdown".

Sir Paul Coleridge, a High Court Judge, has set up a foundation to promote marriage as figures recently released by the office of national statistics show that divorce rates have increased - up by 4.9 per cent on the previous year. Sir Paul condemned what he called couples 'recycling' attitudes in ending relationships when they have children to think of.

The message that Sir Paul is advocating is "mend it - don't end it". He also says that marriage is better for children than cohabitation and advocated it as the 'gold standard'.

As from April 2011 it became compulsory for couples seeking a divorce to first of all go through an initial mediation assessment interview to establish whether the divorce can be finalised through the mediation process rather than having to go through the Courts.

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If you are thinking about filing for a divorce contact Lisa Pepper who will be able to advice you on the process. Lisa can also advice you on the other methods you may be able to pursue including mediation and collaborative law. Lisa is also a specialist collaborative lawyer recognised by independent family organisation Resolution.

• E-mail Lisa
• Call Lisa on 020 7485 8811
• Filling in our online enquiry form

The family department at Osbornes is recommeded and ranked by independent legal directories Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners.  Our specialist family lawyers in London advise on all aspects of family law including divorce law.