As the world turns its collective calendar to the year 2018, many people are looking for changes in their lives. New exercise routines and habits, healthier meal plans, goals of doing a better job of being mindful of friends and family during the times that they spend together. Unfortunately, not all of these new year changes are positive. For many families, the new year will bring an end to a marriage. And while a divorce is not often a good thing, the fact of the matter is that many people are in marriages that are unhealthy and, sometimes, even destructive. The fact of the matter is, 2018 will be a year when divorce rate for first marriages will continue at 41% and the average length of these first marriages will be about eight years.
If you find yourself in a situation where your marriage is coming to an end, it is almost always wise to get legal advice sooner rather than later. Because divorce is so common in this country, there are many divorce lawyers who tend to specialize in certain kinds of cases. For instance, some lawyers may have more experience in divorce for physicians or divorce for business owners. Rather than simply dividing a household into two, these lawyers may have more knowledge about protecting the assets of a doctor who has been in practice for years or a business owner who has a complicated list of properties.
Whether you are looking for an attorney for child custody or you are in search of someone who has experience with divorce for physicians, it is often in your best interest if you take the time to find a legal professional who is experienced working with couples who are in similar circumstances. Talking to friends and family, checking references, and making sure that you have thorough discussions with any attorney that you work with can help you navigate a divorce.
Consider some of these facts and figures about divorce in America:
- Communication problems, infidelity or betrayal, financial struggles, abuse, and loss of interest are the top five reasons for divorce in the U.S.
- Ironically, February is the month with the most divorce filings.
- If you marry at an older age, have a higher education, and earn more money, it is more likely that your marriage will last longer.
- The divorce rate among couples who divide household chores is twice as high as those in which the wife handles the housework, according to a Norwegian study released in August of 2012.
- Living together before marriage is no longer a strong predictor of divorce, according to a 2012 study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
If you are trying to navigate a difficult situation, it might be in your best interest to make sure that you are getting the right kind of legal advice. For many people, this may mean that if you are a doctor, for instance, you might want to work with an attorney who is used to handing the details of a divorce for physicians and understands the special implications that might be involved.
