Valentine’s Day Heartbreak! Divorce Surges Around Day of Romance

Avvo finds requests for divorce lawyers increases dramatically after Cupid's Day

Seattle, Wash — Valentine’s Day should be a time for love and romance, but for more married couples it’s a day of heartbreak and hurt. That’s because Valentine’s Day kicks off the year’s most prolific time for divorce. Avvo.com (www.avvo.com), which offers free ratings and profiles for 90 percent of licensed lawyers and doctors in the U.S., says the number of Americans seeking divorce lawyers and divorce-related information skyrockets around Valentine’s Day.

“Over the past two years we’ve seen an average increase of 40 percent in the number of requests for divorce lawyers around Valentine’s Day, compared to the previous six months,” said Mark Britton, founder and CEO of Avvo. “Furthermore, the number of questions about divorce soared 36 percent during that same time.”

Kelly Chang, a prominent divorce lawyer added: “I see a rise in divorce filings shortly after Valentine’s Day. This can be attributed to two groups of people: ‘Delayed New Year’s Resoluters’ who are merely moving forward on their resolution to be single, and ‘Waiting to Exhalers,’ who, depending on the actions of their spouses on Valentine’s Day, will either reconcile or file for divorce.”

Cary Cheifetz, a high profile New Jersey divorce attorney, said: “We see a definite spike in divorce cases around Valentine’s Day. I see it as a combination of cabin fever, people waiting until after the holidays and people waiting until they know what their spouse’s bonus and income situation will be in the New Year.”

About Avvo
Avvo is the largest and only free website that empowers consumers to handle their legal and medical matters with confidence. Avvo offers free ratings and profiles for 90 percent of practicing lawyers and 90 percent of licensed MDs in the US. This includes the editorial Avvo Rating, patient and client reviews and peer endorsements as well as experience, background information, industry achievements and disciplinary records. Avvo also offers a free Question and Answer forum, where consumers can ask questions and receive certified answers from certified doctors and lawyers. Founded in early 2006 and launched in 2007, Avvo is privately held, with funding from private investors, Benchmark Capital, Ignition Partners and DAG Ventures. For more information, visit www.avvo.com.