PATERNITY

Paternity law is often confusing and is an area where misinformation abounds. Couples do not have to be married in order for them both to be legally required to provide child support, health insurance and and full-time care for their children.

Unmarried mothers have legal rights to pursue the fathers of their children to get support and to enforce those support orders once entered by the court.

Similarly, if an unmarried client believes he is a biological parent of a child, but has been denied the right to have a relationship with his child or children by the other parent, our firm can represent him in getting a court order for legal paternity, custody, visitation, support, awarding them shared decision-making rights for all aspects of their children's lives. Our firm has successfully litigated paternity cases involving both parents who live locally and those who have fled our jurisdiction in order to avoid paying support or providing their children for time-sharing with the other parent.

Establishing paternity through DNA-testing,voluntary acknowledgments of paternity, and/or judicial decrees confers rights as well as responsibilities on unmarried parents, similar to the rights that divorcing parents have. Our firm is experienced in establishing and enforcing the rights and responsibilities of legal paternity.