How to respond to a divorce petition

We highly recommend that you speak with a family lawyer. It’s vital to seek legal advice from a specialist divorce lawyer as soon as possible. Not only will they listen and guide you through the next steps based on your unique circumstances. they’ll also help you to deal with the complexities of divorce, offering clarity, explaining the language and legal process, and take the strain.

At Stowe, our experienced and compassionate family lawyers work with clients to identify the best approach, whether it’s an alternative form of dispute resolution such as mediation, collaborative law, or arbitration, or a lawyer-led approach. And although most divorces don’t end up in court, we are experienced at representing clients in the family court if necessary.

We offer a free initial consultation to discuss your options and help to alleviate some of the immediate fears and concerns you may have. The overwhelming feedback we receive from clients is that they feel a huge sense of relief following their first conversation with a divorce solicitor.

It sounds obvious, but even amicable divorces can be emotionally challenging, so it is important that you look after your needs and wellbeing. Accept support from friends and family to alleviate the pressure and think about whether you could benefit from professional support such as counselling assist you.

Consider arrangements for any children of the family, including where and with children will live with, or how they will see each parent. Ideally you and your ex-partner will reach an agreement on child arrangements between each other. But if an agreement can’t be reached, a family lawyer can help with negotiations between you and your ex and seek a legally binding child arrangement order.

In the UK the family court’s primary concern is the welfare of the children, and decisions regarding their care will be made with their best interests in mind. Unless there is evidence to the contrary, the family court works on the basis that where it is safe and appropriate to do so, maintaining relations with both parents it’s important for the child’s welfare.

It’s a good idea to begin thinking about potential child maintenance payments to ensure you can meet your children’s living expenses after divorce.

Child maintenance is a regular payment paid by one parent to the other to help with living expenses. It is calculated based on a number of factors and situations.

Child maintenance claims are handled by the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) and a family lawyer can help you to resolve any child maintenance issues either directly or through the CMS, and in rare cases, the court system.

Gather as much information as possible about yours and your ex-partner’s financial situation. This includes details of assets such as property, bank accounts, investments, and pensions as well as any mortgages, loans and debts. It is important to consider all potential financial obligations, such as child maintenance or spousal support.

While it’s not necessary to provide exact details right at the start, it is a good idea to prepare as much as you can so that you have a reliable overview of yours and your ex-partner’s financial circumstances with which to begin building a plan that will ensure you get the best possible outcome.

Divorce doesn’t need to result in a total collapse of communication between you and your ex-partner. There may be issues to be resolved that you can agree on. For example, you might be able to agree on the arrangements for the children but could use a little assistance from a family lawyer to reach agreements on financial issues.

Talking things through can make you feel more in control of the situation and is a cost-effective way of settling disagreements. However, we do recommend that you speak with a divorce law specialist before reaching any agreement with your spouse, to ensure you know your full rights and that the terms of the agreement you reach between you is fair in all the circumstances.