News and Insights

Is divorce your New Year's resolution?

We all spend weeks and weeks getting ready for the Christmas and New Year celebrations, but for many families the New Year starts with a decision by one or other partner to end the relationship

For many years now all divorce lawyers know that the first week back to work in January will be busy after the long Christmas holiday has taken its toll on thousands of relationships throughout Britain. Jersey is not immune to this trend.

Many find that although they may have been unhappy before Christmas, tensions that inevitably arise during the Christmas break can be the last straw. Over Christmas couples spend longer together than normal and there are more opportunities to argue. Financial worries are also heightened during this period. There is also some evidence to show that a decision to divorce often arises out of New Year resolutions as it focuses on what people want for their future to be.

New year, new you?

The New Year is an important time for people to assess their lives and many decide that the time has now come for them to take the jump into the unknown and end their relationship. It may be the case that they have been unhappy for many years or something may have come to light over the holiday period such as a partner’s infidelity. As divorce becomes more commonplace within our society, people will take steps to move on from a relationship that has gone sour rather than just continue in their relationship, as was once the case.

The importance of seeking expert legal advice

Taking such an important step means that it is crucial to take expert legal advice as soon as possible. Family law is an increasingly complex area of law and therefore legal advice taken needs to be from a specialist lawyer in order to ensure that not only is the advice given sound, but also that costs are kept down.

Divorce means that living costs for all families will inevitably increase and therefore it is very important to ensure that the family pot is not dissipated by unnecessary legal costs. In such circumstances, legal advice should be taken from one of the family lawyers in the Island who are trained in collaborative law so that any disputes can be expertly mediated and compromises can be found where possible.

Next steps

Viberts are also the largest private family law team in Jersey that benefits from trusts, probate, company and property expertise so that we can advise you upon many aspects of your case. We pride ourselves on creating pragmatic solutions that are tailored to meet the individual needs of our clients.