DENVER (KDVR) — The New Year is less than two weeks away and for many Coloradans it signals a time for necessary change and new beginnings.

This includes plenty of married couples looking to call it quits.

According to attorneys, January is actually one of the busiest months for people to file for divorce.

In fact, January is nicknamed “Divorce Month” due to the surge in online traffic and inquiries from married couples who are waiting until after the holidays to separate.

Denver-based divorce attorneys are expecting a large number of filings this year.

Last year was a surprise, though.

Legal experts figured the first year of COVID would be too stressful on married couples and trigger a record number of divorces.

But that didn’t happen.

In fact, the divorce rate in our state for 2020 was the lowest it had been in five years. Roughly 22,592 Coloradans filed for divorce.

Typically, Colorado sees about 25,000 filings. That’s the figure divorce attorneys are expecting in our state for 2021, if not higher.

As for the major reason why so many people are getting divorced right now, experts say it’s about changing the focus of their lives.

“I think one of the things the pandemic has taught people and one of the reasons we’re seeing people leaving jobs they’re not happy in — that’s the same reason they’re leaving marriages they’re not happy in — we’re seeing there’s really only a finite time here to live our lives and people are pushing for happiness,” said Dorothy Walsh Ripka, a litigation partner at Cordell & Cordell in Denver.

The divorce rate in Colorado is currently at 12%. It’s a high figure that currently puts the state at 15th in the nation.

In 2020, El Paso County had the most divorce filings: 3,966. Denver County had the second most with 2,857 divorce filings.