The third Monday of January remains the busiest day for divorce lawyers, according to family law firm Vardags.

Bosses at the company said ‘Divorce Day’, however, is not quite what it seems – with many couples seeking help to salvage their relationships.

It comes after Vardags last month announced it will open an office in Manchester’s Ship Canal House in early 2016.

Ayesha Vardag, founder and president of the divorce and family solicitors, said: “January is indeed busy for divorce lawyers, but we find that the busiest day is not that first Monday back at work, or even the second.

“Very often it starts on the third Monday in the month, after things have had time to settle down a little and the January blues have properly descended.

“We also find that many of the people who come to us really don’t want a divorce, and we try to help them find a constructive way forward.”

Ayesha, who, along with her staff, has acted for and against heirs and heiresses, tycoons, international footballers, celebrities and royalty in big-ticket financial and associated divorce cases, said more people now come to her team to discuss whether their marriage is truly over or whether they’re getting cold feet because of the cold weather.

“Christmas is unique thanks to the abundance of alcohol, overwhelming expectation and pressure from the sometimes unwelcome presence of in-laws,” she said.

“We find that, after this festive period is over, husbands and wives often come to us because they’re feeling despondent.

“They need support and want to discuss whether their marriage is truly over or whether it’s just a post-festive hangover.”

Vardags, which has taken 1,384 sq ft on the eighth floor of the Grade II Listed Ship Canal House on King Street, adding to its London headquarters, is aiming bolster its local presence in the north west, based on a growing number of Manchester clients already coming through its London office.

Known as ‘The Diva of divorce’ within the industry Ayesha added: “We often find that once that person has come to us, discussed their marital problems, possible solutions and imagined the implications of a divorce they don’t want their marriage to end.

“The couple may well want to change some things, of course. But sometimes seeing a divorce lawyer puts the idea of breaking up into perspective.

“It can be very emotional but it can also help salvage troubled relationships.”

Here are some tips from Vardags to save your marriage from the New Year blues:

• The best way to guard your marriage against defeat is to know that feeling restless or discouraged is usual, that it happens to many couples and it is in your power to change it.
• Take extra care with how you behave towards your partner and family at Christmas. If you try not to let the tensions get out of hand, the fallout from the festive season won’t be so brutal.
• Just because the papers are telling you that it’s ‘Divorce Day’, it doesn’t mean your marriage is done for after a few hard words or a bit of a cold shoulder. Acknowledge that it’s normal for your mettle to be tested as a couple over Christmas, and that it can be tough and stressful for everyone. It may mean, or it may be you just need to get back to business as usual, that you and your spouse need to take stock, recognise your problems and work through them.
• Seek advice if you want to and get the information you need, but don’t automatically give up. Divorce can be 100 per cent the right thing for you and your family but it’s never a decision to make on a whim.