This article is from page 3 of the 2006-01-24 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 3 JPG
THE number of divorces in Clare has gone up by 40 per cent on last year’s figures.
Figures just finalised by the court service show that there were 111 decrees of divorce issued by the courts. This is in comparison to 79 decrees in the previous 12 months.
All of the applications which came before the court were granted, a spokeswoman for the court’s office confirmed.
The jump in numbers applying for divorce is being reflected in the number of couples who are coming to family law solicitors, a leading practitioner in the field said.
Solicitor Mary Cashin has just returned from a conference in which startling figures were quoted for Britain.
“Research has revealed that almost 50 per cent of marriages there end in divorce,” said Mary.
“We haven’t come to that stage here but in our dealings with clients, we can certainly say that there is a big increase in people seeking divorce.”
Ms Cashin said that once couples meet the criteria of being separated for four out of the previous five years they are opting for divorce.
“Once they meet that criteria, the courts have to give them their decree. And people are opting for that because it is final.”
One company providing divorce services in Clare says that the number of people applying for divorce in Clare is actually much higher than the number of divorces which made it as far as court.
Jim Corbett, Managing Director of Divorce Services in Clare, says that he puts the increase in applications for divorce last year as high as 75 per cent.
Ms Cashin says that she believes that the numbers will continue to increase, with many people opting for the so-called, D.I.Y. divorces offered by non-legal companies.
But while straightforward divorces in which all the issues have been agreed before coming to court may be suitable for this approach, Ms Cashin says she is concerned that some people may be leaving themselves exposed.
“There are far more issues involved than just getting the divorce rubber-stamped. There are issues around property and, very importantly, child access and I would just advise people to be wary.
“When things go wrong, they will end up back in the family law courts and anyone who has been there will tell you it’s not a place you want to have to go back to.”