New research has confirmed what New Jersey divorce attorneys have long known from anecdotal evidence: people tend to file for divorce after the holidays. CNBC reports researchers from the University of Washington found two peaks in divorce filings at March and August. These timeframes coincide with an end to the winter and summer holiday seasons. Further, according to data published in the Huffington Post, the so-called “Divorce Month” is real, with January tallying the most legal end to marriages.
Many divorce lawyers and other legal professionals interviewed pointed to high expectations for an idyllic holiday season. If the marriage cannot survive a rocky holiday season, many partners choose to move on. Many people see the holidays as a special time, and either tough it out (despite having already made up their mind) or give their relationship one last shot, often for the sake of the children. The January Divorce Month phenomenon is particularly common for couples with children.
Some divorce attorneys in New Jersey have also identified New Year’s resolutions as contributing to the effect. January is a time in which many people reflect upon where their life was at during the previous year and where they want to be in the coming year. This can cause many partners to re-evaluate their marriage.
Interestingly, even taxes can play a role in deciding whether to file for divorce in January. Because a person’s tax filing status is determined by his or her marital status on December 31, some taxpayers may wait to file for divorce until January, to access the benefits of filing jointly for one last tax year.
Protecting Your Legal Interests in a New Jersey Divorce at Any Time of Year
Regardless of when a person chooses to file for divorce, it is important to protect both physical safety and legal interests throughout the divorce process. If there has been physical, verbal or sexual abuse between the parties or their children, a restraining order may be necessary to protect the safety of all family members throughout the divorce process. A good divorce attorney in New Brunswick can help those contemplating divorce access the protections of a restraining order, and understand how a restraining order can affect the divorce process. Physical safety is paramount at all stages of divorce proceedings. Divorce litigants should never be swayed from getting a necessary restraining order due to financial concerns or strategic maneuvering. It is important to have the legal protection necessary to implement an effective safety plan.
Those contemplating divorce should also consider a short-term plan for where they will stay and how they will pay for immediate living expenses. Divorce litigation can be both costly and lengthy. When a divorce involves complicated financial issues of property division, child support or alimony, it may be a long time before spouses have final court orders to resolve these matters and access marital funds. In the meantime, it is important that each spouse and their children have a safe place to stay, and funds to pay for living expenses until the divorce is finalized. A spouse contemplating divorce can begin researching options for living arrangements and preparing budgets and funds for living expenses even before he or she files for divorce. These preparations, and the advice of a New Brunswick divorce lawyer, can help provide some stability during a very uncertain life event.
If you are considering a New Jersey divorce, contact New Brunswick divorce attorneys at Rozin-Golinder Law LLC by calling (732) 810-0034.
Additional Resources: January: More Divorces Than Any Other Month? by Meghan Beresford, The Huffington Post, January 4, 2011
More Blog Entries: Navigating Holiday Parenting Time in New Jersey With Help From Child Custody Attorney, November 21, 2017, New Jersey Family Law Attorney Blog