Lockdown sees surge in domestic incidents

The coronavirus lockdown has inadvertently resulted in a surge in fresh family law applications being handled by the legal profession.

The majority of these have been attributed to families living in close proximity to each other, as well as an increase in home drinking and restricted movement from peoples’ homes.

Some courts around the county are not holding their scheduled sittings – but they are holding special sittings for essential hearings, such as family law applications.

And that – not families rushing out to make their wills – was keeping a section of the legal profession very busy.

Galway solicitor Gearoid Geraghty told the Connacht Tribune that, despite stories in the national media suggesting that they were inundated with the public making wills, this was not the case.

The Ballinasloe solicitor confirmed that the past few weeks had seen an upsurge in the volume of family law applications.

“The number of people living in close proximity to each other without release is a huge factor in all of this and when alcohol is also involved, then it is causing major problems within individual households,” he said.

See full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now or available to buy in digital format. You can also order the Connacht Tribune for inclusion in your home delivery.