Attorneys predict quarantine will lead to divorce and estate planning

PHILADELPHIA - Quarantining may start to feel like the walls are closing in after a while and that could put a strain on some marriages.

"I've heard a lot of people joke with me that my income's going to skyrocket and I'm going to have a lot of people coming to me when this is done," said Alexandra Rigden. She’s a family law attorney for Cooper Levinson in Cherry Hill and says divorce after quarantine is a thing.

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"I actually have a few clients who are in the nightmare scenario where they're actively going through a divorce right now and they're cooped up in the same house," she said.

Even for happy homes Rigden says the quarantine could test that. But she does have some advice. Don't make decisions in the moment.

"Because once the party is over their going to be the ones with the hangover. So I think it's prudent if couples were maybe not that happy and then this sort of magnified it maybe take a breather, try marriage counseling which will likely be done on FaceTime or Zoom at this point. But if people have been unhappy for a long time there's no issue with getting a divorce right now," said Rigden.

The quarantine may also have you thinking about writing your own will.

"I say always get a lawyer but you can entertain how you can write it out yourself,” said Shabrei Parker. She’s a partner at Mincey Fitzpatrick Ross and it may work for small estates or if you have a limited number of beneficiaries but be careful.

"Anything that is beyond just a straight line from one person to the other it's probably not going to be a good idea to write your own will because you don't usually find out that someone made a mistake until their gone and can't redo it." Parker says things to consider: adding digital assets for phones, laptops, accounts and passwords.

Also your furry friends.

"You want to make sure your pet is provided for and if you wanted to leave anything to a charity. I have clients who left their assets to their sorority or to their church. There's nothing like a pandemic to sort of force you to confront your own mortality," said Parker.

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