This is the second part in a four part review of the Divorce Process entitled The Acknowledgement of Service. • Part I: • Part III: • Part IV: Once a divorce petition has been filed at the court, it will normally be posted to the other spouse to the marriage. The spouse being divorced is referred to as the ‘Respondent’. Along with the divorce petition, the court will also send the Respondent some other documents too called an Acknowledgement of Service Pack.
Each form is listed under the Part of the Rules with which it is used. Agree with the divorce. To agree with the divorce petition, fill in and return the acknowledgment of service form to the divorce centre within 8 days, and the divorce. Realbasic Serial Communication Rs232.
One of those forms needs to be filled in by the Respondent, signed by them or their solicitor and returned to the court. The Respondent must acknowledge to the court within 7 days of receiving the acknowledgement that they have received the divorce petition and they must also notify the court whether they consent to the divorce proceeding undefended or whether they do not. At this stage in the proceedings the Respondent needs to consider their position very carefully because this may be the only opportunity the Respondent has to alter the direction of the divorce. Considerations for the Respondent after receiving the Divorce Petition and Acknowledgement of Service Pack: The Respondent should at this stage consider some of the following issues before returning the Acknowledgement of Service Form to the court: 1. Are you willing to agree to the divorce progressing on an undefended basis?
In other words, do you contest the divorce as set out by the Petitioner or are you willing to agree to allow the Petition to proceed without you defending the suit? Although it is unusual for Respondents to defend a divorce in England, the Respondent can nevertheless cross-petition and issue their own petition for a divorce in response to the existing petition and that way the Respondent can become the person seeking the divorce. This is a fairly complex area of the divorce process and if it applied to you, then you are well advised to contact us.