Improved Economy Results in Increased Divorce Filings

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This holiday season has fortunately been marked by indications of local and national economic improvement. Although Northen Virginia has been more immune to the Great Recession than other areas of the country, its residents have still experienced their share of economic strain. According to a report by the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia, the Great Recession has influenced fewer married persons to divorce since the economic downturn began. Now, according to a recent Washington Post article, because the economy is improving, Northern Virginians who may have been previously dissuaded from seeking divorce due to financial constraints, are now proceeding quickly to file in local courthouses. Indeed, as the article points out, divorce filings in some local courts have increased over twenty-five percent between 2009 and 2011. If this information is any evidence of a trend, 2013 may be a watershed year for divorce filings in Northern Virginia, and across the nation.

Hayden O. Lee, Esquire, January 3, 2012.