San Francisco, Calif. (February 25, 2009) -- Foreclosures, money woes, and layoff threats can be a recipe for relationship disaster. LegalMatch, an online resource that connects attorneys with people who need them, has reported a nearly-20 percent increase in domestic violence cases in the weeks after Valentine's Day. As the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression continues, LegalMatch predicts that domestic violence will tick upward this year.
In an anomaly from previous years, in which LegalMatch has noted much higher rises in divorce cases following Valentine's Day, it seems that lately more people have chosen to 'stick it out.' But with domestic violence cases on the rise, some wonder if the bad economy is restricting couples from uncoupling, but creating rising, and often dangerous, frustration.
Running the latest numbers against the previous three years, LegalMatch found that while divorces once again bumped, the 12 percent increase was considerably less than in previous years (which saw an annual average of 28 percent). Meanwhile the domestic violence cases all ran upwards at greater percentage than years past (over 19 percent). These figures underscore the sad but true effect that poverty (impending or permanent) has on family relationships. And while money can't buy love, it can buy security, which may keep a marriage more stable.
In November 2008, The National Domestic Abuse Hotline, headquartered in Austin, Texas, reported a 21 percent increase in calls compared to last year. LegalMatch Associate General Counsel, Ken LaMance, also sees a connection. "We have seen an increase every year around Valentine's Day," he says, "Both domestic violence and divorce cases tend to rise around that time, and it seems logical to blame it on romantic tension. A lot of expectations are high, emotions are running high, and then combine it with worries about money, the outcome goes from disappointing to downright dangerous."
LegalMatch (www.LegalMatch.com) is the premier online legal matching service. LegalMatch assists consumers with finding rigorously prescreened local lawyers while helping attorneys build and grow their legal practices. For more information on LegalMatch, contact Christelyn Russell-Karazin at (951) 203-1313.