CHARLOTTE, N.C. — At the start of the pandemic, divorces and separations spiked across the country. 

According to Legal Templates, a website that provides legal documents online, there was a 57 percent increase in interest in separation from February 2020 to April 2020. The website also reported a 34% increase in sales for divorce paperwork. 

What You Need To Know

  • At the start of the pandemic, divorces and separations spiked across the country

  • Claire Samuels, a Charlotte divorce attorney, created a group to help her clients navigate the divorce process called "Claire’s Curated Community"

  • Samuels is predicting a "second wave" of interest in divorce and separation now that pandemic-related restrictions have been lifted

A Charlotte divorce attorney is helping her clients navigate the divorce process, but she isn’t doing it alone. 

Claire Samuels has been a divorce attorney for more than a decade, and says after seeing hundreds of clients stressed out, she noticed they needed help beyond legal assistance. 

“My role is to be the lawyer, and to weigh in on the legal aspects. And we can’t be all things to all people,” she said. “But people need a lot of different people and a lot of different support when they’re going through a divorce.” 

Samuels teamed up with other women-owned businesses in Charlotte to create a one-top shop so her clients can have access to all the resources they could possibly need. 

“I thought about this idea, it was probably five or six years ago actually, where I was like wouldn’t it be awesome to have this building where people could go who are going through a divorce, and they could meet with an accountant, meet with a realtor.”

She calls it Claire’s Curated Community. Right now, there are 21 businesses involved. Some of the businesses include a local spa, financial advisor, and personal stylist. 

“I think it’s the personalized hand-holding and touch that people need,” Samuels said. 

Samuels plans on doing an in-person event at Infinity MedSpa, one of the members of the community, in the coming weeks so clients can meet some of the partners.