Divorce filings are likely to increase once officials start relaxing restrictions, according to partners at a Richmond-based family law office.
Jasmeet Wahid and Betty Gabriel, senior partners at Kahn Zack Ehrlich Lithwick LLP, said they are bracing for a surge in divorce filings as couples begin to emerge from self-isolation.
"A lot of people right now don't know that the law firm is still running as before...I think people are now following Dr. Bonnie Henry's advice to stay home. If those rules are relaxed, then we anticipate seeing people coming out of the woodwork and inquiring about divorces," said Gabriel.
There are many reasons why people may be seeking a divorce right now, but often problems in a marriage or relationship are magnified during a crisis, according to Gabriel.
Wahid and Gabriel haven't seen any increase in divorce applications yet, but they wonder if Richmond will follow China’s example.
China, the first country to enter into a lockdown due to COVID-19, has already seen a spike in divorce filings following the end of the "self-enforced confinements," according to reports from Chinese state-run media.
"Stephen Li, a lawyer based in Shanghai, China, said his caseload had increased by 25 per cent when the country began easing COVID-19 restrictions and reopening the economy.
"Many cities in China have seen an increase in divorce rates since mid-March. In Miluo, a city in Hunan province, some staff members in charge of processing divorce registrations, didn't even have time to drink water because so many couples were lining up," a translation an article reads, published in Souhu.com.
The report says the pandemic is like the straw that broke the camel's back; it exposed cracks that already existed in a marriage.
Wahid and Gabriel said they hope they can help couples get through these tough times using Zoom and other video conferencing tools.
"No matter if the issue is pandemic-related or not, we, as family lawyers, can guide them through this difficult time," said Wahid.
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