Why would someone not answer to a divorce petition or get their own?
They really dont have to. The divorce can proceed in absentia and will be granted as a no contest divorce because they are literally not there to contest it. Lawyers are not really necessary IF the divorce is non adversarial and theres nothing to divide up or the parties have made their own arrangements about property. Children will complicate things 10 fold and will likely require legal counsel. For my divorce it was very simple and very clean, no lawyers necessary.