- Legal Futures - https://www.legalfutures.co.uk -

‘Divorce Day’ – calls to family lawyers double

Moneypenny NEW2002 [1]IT seems thousands of couples across the country found the Christmas and New Year break a struggle, according to `Divorce Day’ figures released by telephone answering specialist Moneypenny [2].

The company’s legal receptionists saw family law calls double – rising by 106% on Monday, January 4 – in a like-for-like comparison to the average for the three previous Mondays before Christmas in December.

In addition, Moneypenny found that calls on `Divorce Day’ were up by 62% when compared to the average for the four Mondays in September, the company’s busiest month in 2015 for family law calls.

Bernadette Bennett, Moneypenny’s legal commercial manager, says the legal team was prepared for the upsurge: “We know from experience to expect a spike in calls on `Divorce Day’ as it’s the first working Monday after the extended break and we typically see an increase on this day every year.

“There are of course a number of other reasons why people may seek advice from a family law specialist – custodial matters and pre-nuptial agreements, for example – which may also be a contributing factor to the rise in calls.

“However, we do know from speaking to the legal firms we work with that the majority of these calls taken are in relation to martial separation.”

Endorsed by the Law Society, Moneypenny answers around two million legal calls a year for law firms across the UK, either on an overflow or fully outsourced basis.

Bernadette added: “Callers will already be stressed so it’s all the more important for them to receive the best possible care. We are here to take the pressure off law firms who are struggling to cope with the additional enquiries.

“During busy periods such as these it can be easy for firms to drop calls, so with an outsourced partner right beside them, they capture each one effortlessly while delivering a flawless service. Our business model is one of continually overstaffing to ensure that we are always prepared for fluctuations in call volumes at any time.”