The websites and blogs of lawyers continuously inform us that the phrase 'quickie divorce' is misleading, but - as Roland Barthes once argued in his influential essay The Death of the Author - the accuracy of any statement is entirely subjective and dependent upon how the reader perceives it.
It is true that no divorce in the UK can be finalised in less than three months, irrespective of the relevant couple's circumstances. Place the expression in context, however, and the word quick is entirely appropriate.
If there are contentious matters that need to be addressed - such as the division of assets or childcare arrangements - then a divorce could be delayed for months if not years. Worse yet, if a divorce is contested, then an individual can be left with no choice but to remain married to their estranged spouse for several years. When these factors are taken into consideration, the word quick, it would seem, is being used as a rather appropriate pseudo prefix. But just how is such a divorce obtained?
Fortunately, it really isn't that difficult to obtain a quick divorce, provided, that is, that both spouses agree to the divorce and have settled the contentious issues outlined above. All you'll need to do is instruct a solicitor, contact an online divorce company or, if you're confident enough, proceed unassisted and try for a DIY divorce.
Depending upon which of the options you went for, you'll then either complete the relevant forms yourself or have them completed for you. These forms will then need to be filed with a county court either by or on behalf of the spouse that is making the application (known as the petitioner).
These forms will then be processed by the court and copies of them sent to the petitioner's spouse (known as the respondent). The respondent is then required to review these documents before signing additional paperwork and returning all of these forms to the relevant court. Their signature, ultimately, serves as proof of the fact that they do not oppose the divorce. Once they have returned these signed documents to the court, then the petitioner is contacted and provided with a copy of the documentation that will serve as proof of the fact that the respondent agrees to the divorce. During this stage of the divorce, it would be advisable for the petitioner to contact their spouse - provided that they are still on speaking terms - and inform them that the sooner they sign and return these documents to the court, the sooner the divorce will be finalised.
Once these documents have been received, the petitioner can then apply for a decree nisi (a document which confirms that a judge has, in principle agreed to the application). Again, the relevant forms will need to be completed by either the petitioner or the individuals that they have instructed and filed with the relevant county court along with a copy of the document as proof of the fact that the respondent agrees to the divorce. Before these documents are filed, though, they will need to be sworn by either a solicitor - who will charge a small fee for this service - or a member of the court's staff.
Shortly after these documents are filed with the court, the petitioner should be sent a copy of their decree nisi. Following receipt of this, the petitioner will be able to apply for a decree absolute - the document that confirms that they are officially divorced - six weeks and one day from the date on which their decree nisi was issued. During this period, it is advisable that couple file what is known as a consent order with the court. A consent order is, put simply, a document that indicates that both the petitioner and respondent have agreed on how to divide their finances. This document will outline precisely how the relevant assets have been, or are going to be, divided and make these agreements legally binding. You can prepare this document yourself if you like, but, this can be tricky and, in my opinion, it is better to seek assistance as a result.
Anyway, regardless of whether or not you choose to apply for a consent order, one additional document will need to be completed and filed with the court on or after the assigned date and then, hey presto, both the petitioner and respondent will soon be sent a decree absolute as proof of the fact that they are no longer married.
So, as you can see, this is a relatively straightforward process and, what's more, it usually only takes between 12 and 20 weeks.
The Divorce Blogger writes for http://www.quickie-divorce.com/ the UK's leading divorce provider.
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