Article first published at The Business Desk West Midlands (20 December 2018)
Despite its eternal charm, Christmas is stressful. Accompanying the shopping for presents, hosting loved-ones and dinner parties, are a variety of issues including financial stress, family feuds and overindulgence. This pressure can only be sustained for so long and can accentuate fracture points in a person’s marriage.
For relationships already bearing cracks, the tremors from the festive period can be enough to bring the house down. The media frenzy around ‘Divorce Day’ – a correlation between separation enquires and the first Monday back for family solicitors from the festive break – only adds fuel to the fire.
As a solicitor, I am no stranger to the many reasons behind relationship struggles, but through my experience, I know how to help couples work through problems and find a mutually beneficial solution. While sometimes couples resolve their issues, and continue in their relationship, unfortunately, sometimes this isn’t possible.
If you have concerns about whether your relationship is coming to an end, use Christmas as an opportunity for reflection. Time away from work can provide you and your partner with the freedom to evaluate the nature of your problems, both independently and together.
Interlinked with this, and an important part of relieving stress over the festive period, is communication. By talking about your concerns with your partner and, importantly, listening to what they have to say, you can find a better understanding; both about existing challenges and problems that Christmas may bring to the surface.
Often, common points of conflict are around responsibilities – who buys the presents, when are family coming over, who cooks and does the chores. By discussing this ahead of time and sharing the burden, these issues can be avoided, relieving additional stress and allowing time for constructive conversation.
Marriage is a complex, long-term commitment and should only end immediately in the worst situations. Try to avoid knee-jerk decisions, especially where children are present. Christmas is a delicate period, and a child’s wellbeing is always the priority.
A common misconception is that you should only consult a solicitor when you make the final decision to separate. At Anthony Collins Solicitors, we see part of our job as signposting clients to other agencies or professionals who can support them such as relationship coaches or counsellors.
If you are finding Christmas difficult and feel like the only option is to separate or divorce, remember that you are not alone.
Our family department is committed to helping couples and families over the festive period and throughout the year. Our specialist solicitors and accredited mediators can provide advice and assistance, relieving some of your stress and helping you gain perspective on your situation.
If you would like further information on this article, or for any enquiries concerning divorces or family mediation, please contact Chris Lloyd-Smith.
Volunteers are often the bedrock of charitable organisations, but they are not protected from sexual harassment within those organisations.
Here at Anthony Collins Solicitors, we have been hard at work advising a charity client, BICMP, on its new music project, ‘Resonance’.
Currently, the only ground for divorce is irretrievable break down of a marriage. Following a consultation, the Government has announced its intention to reform the legal requirements for divorce.
The UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has recently made some noteworthy changes to its guidance around data subject access requests (DSARs).
In the fourth part of our series on contract management pitfalls, we look at the risks arising out of varying the terms of construction contracts.
A local authority recently received a "roasting" by the Pensions Ombudsman for their delay in processing an employee’s ill-health retirement pension, following her diagnosis with advanced cancer.
The Times is looking for three or four charities to feature in their editions running in December 2019 and early January 2020.
Cliff Mills defines and talks about the importance of social value in his blog, and its potential within Greater Manchester.
Following a power outage at Anthony Collins Solicitors’ (ACS) Birmingham office, our employees and partners currently have limited functionality, including no access to emails.
Joint ventures present an opportunity for housing associations to build organisational capacity, the revenues from which could help deliver on wider social housing commitments.
To receive invitations to our events, as well as information and articles on legal issues and sector developments that are of interest to you, please sign up to Newsroom.