Lawyers in New Zealand report surge in separations as a result of Covid lockdown
Relationship therapists and lawyers say number of new clients is comparable to the annual post-holiday separation rise
Some New Zealand family lawyers have been overwhelmed with enquiries – and are even turning prospective clients away – because of an increase in newly-separated couples seeking legal advice after they split during the country’s strict Covid-19 lockdown.
“We’re having new inquiries daily, certainly more than usual,” said Alissa Bell, a partner at McVeagh Fleming in Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city. “We often get an increase post Christmas, and it’s similar to that and even above that.”