Family Law Experts See Drop In Enquires During London 2012 Games

Family lawyers at Irwin Mitchell’s Bristol office found the Olympics was good for married couples after divorce enquiries dropped to a summer time low during the two weeks in July and August when the games were on.

The national firm believe it was down to the country’s boosted morale and more families spending time together as Team GB stormed to victory winning a huge 65 medals of which 29 were gold.

Irwin Mitchell, the only law firm in the top 20 with a national network of family lawyers, reported a 30% decrease in divorce enquiries from the same time period last year in the Bristol office, with the firm’s other offices echoing the trend. However, since the closing ceremony finished the case load has increased again.

Alison Hawes, a partner at Irwin Mitchell and family law expert who specialises in divorce claims, said: “It is not unusual for different seasons and national events to impact on divorce enquiries but the 30% drop was the largest we have seen and it was remarkable to see how enquiries bounced back to normal levels after the closing ceremony.

“The four weeks the Euro 2012 Cup was shown was a particularly busy time for us, we believe probably down to clashes over the television and tempers flaring when a result does not go the right way.

“But it seems the Olympics, as well as bringing the nation together, kept couples together too as the feel-good factor took over Great Britain. Many families spent more time together watching the games and the great results allowed them to share sporting moments that will go down in history.

“This is also backed up by the amount of marriage proposals which were made in the Olympic Park – recent reports suggested an average of two per day.

“September is traditionally one of our busiest times of the year as people return to reality after the holidays but this year the busy period has already started after the two week quiet spell during the Olympics.”