When the Christmas holidays are over and everyone has welcomed the new year, couples may turn their thoughts to their marriages. It seems that some Michigan couples choose the first month of the year to make the hard decision to file for divorce. January is often seen as a new beginning and that may have an impact on ending a marriage that has been unhappy. But with this difficult decision comes challenges and knowing how to overcome them is crucial for having a divorce experience that is the best it can be under the circumstances.

People in the legal field have seen this spike in divorce filings at the beginning of the year for many years now. In legal circles January is known as divorce month and, in fact, the first Monday in January is known as National Divorce Day. More people do internet searches for the word divorce in January than any other time, and legal websites usually have an uptick in traffic during the first month of the year.

Many professionals believe that the holiday stress and tension many actually push some couples to finally admit their marriages are over. It’s at this time of year that some couples are able to make the decision to divorce when they weren’t 100% certain prior to the holiday hustle and bustle. Perhaps it is easier to make that decision on the heels of a new year.

Some Ohio couples who are considering divorce make that decision in January. But whether it is January or August, people who decide their marriages are no longer viable would do well to have some understanding of what issues are a part of the divorce process. Some of the more pertinent ones are child custody, child support, spousal support and division of property, among others.