Covid-19 Lockdown Prompts Couples to Seek Divorce

The Covid-19 pandemic is so different from anything we have ever experienced, yet it will be compared to natural disasters and outbreaks we have had in the past. The differences between our experiences with the coronavirus are its vastness, its unpredictability, and its duration.

Covid-19 lockdown is taking a heavy toll on Australian couples, as a growing number of people seek to get divorced, separation advice or receive relationship counselling to save their marriages.

Being stuck at home all day with the same people can cause some of the strongest relationships to fracture, and the added pressure of financial stress increases tension even more.

We are so used to external involvement with others, amusements from sporting events and concerts to dinners with friends. Our usual human contact and diversions have been taken away and we are confined with severe limitations, emotional and financial pressures, and distress over the health of those close to us and ourselves.

People from all walks of life are grappling with rising relationship stress, as the outbreak reshapes the connections with our nearest and dearest. Relationships Australia reported 42 per cent of respondents to a May survey said isolation had negatively impacted their partner relationship, and a national mediation service said numbers of people thinking about separating were up more than 300 per cent.

Separation or divorce can be painful, but it does not have to be emotionally or financially negative. Mediation is an alternative to the traditional court-based approach to family law disputes, allowing both parties to reach an agreement with less tension, and often with lower legal costs. This practice provides a space for you and your former partner to discuss important issues, resolve misunderstandings and come to mutual agreements that will benefit each of you and your children. Once both parties come to an agreement, the parties’ lawyers will create an amicable and non-adversarial agreement on terms that is mutually agreed upon in the form of a binding and legally enforceable document.

Straits Lawyers have legal practitioners that can assist you with mediation. If you are anticipating mediation or would like to know more about the mediation process or find out more about your rights and options, Straits Lawyers are here to help. Simply send us an email at info@straitslawyers.com or give us a call on 8410 9069 to arrange an appointment for an online interview.

Alternatively, if you would like to have a Binding Financial Agreement or Consent Orders drafted, Straits Lawyers are now offering online services at https://straits-lawyers.square.site/product/family-law-binding-financial-agreement-consultation-bfa-/5?cs=true.

Please note that this article does not constitute legal advice and Straits Lawyers will not be legally responsible for any actions you take based on this article.