Do Process! February 2023

Greetings all!

This message is from Ms. Senta Johnson, Pre-Law Drexel University

Valentine’s Day is around the corner and love is in the air. For divorce lawyers or separated couples, however, supermarket V-day decorations may only serve as uncomfortable reminders. Divorce is an obviously complicated subject. No one gets married to get divorced. It helps to stay light hearted, and, at times, humorous about the subject.

One silver lining we can offer is that the U.S. can finally call the phrase “Half of all marriages will end in divorce” a misconception. There was a time, particularly the 1980’s, when this was true. Fortunately, the divorce rate has been in a steady decline, reaching about 39% in the U.S.

To add onto the good news, our local states, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, see less divorce than other states. Pennsylvania is fifth lowest in the nation for divorce and New Jersey is seventh. Even through seasonal spikes and the pandemic, less couples are separating.

Compared to other professions, divorce attorneys hear more of the wildest tales. Out of context, relationship stories can be free entertainment, and we’d like to provide some of our favorites.

A paralegal from Pennsylvania told us, “One of our client’s soon-to-be ex-wife called our office all angry, yelling that she is about to burn his clothes, his tv, his stuff, his house, etc. She was on speaker phone so the entire office listened as she listed our plans for our client and his stuff. My boss then looked at me, very seriously, and said ‘Are you writing this down?’ I thought I was a part of a reality show for a second there and forgot to do my job.”

A reddit user posted, “One of our clients thought his wife was having an affair. She would actually just go driving around for hours of the night playing Pokémon Go. They still got divorced.” Talk about a modern, no-fault divorce case.

Oscar Wilde once said, “Divorces are made in heaven.” Living happily ever is the dream, but it may not always mean it is marriage. Divorce may be a necessary opportunity for opening doors and practicing self care. Self-love is the key to healthy relationships with spouses, friends, relatives, and, most importantly, yourself. And, to the benefit of our lawyers, as Shinichi Suzuki says, “Love is grand. Divorce is a hundred grand.”

So Happy Valentine’s Day and Happy February!