South Florida Paternity Lawyer
Establishing Paternity
Certain types of family law cases can involve the establishment of paternity, which is the legal recognition of a child's father. There are various ways that paternity can be determined, including:
- Genetic testing
- Acknowledgement of Paternity
- Legitimization
A judge will use the results of genetic testing (also called DNA testing) to issue an order regarding the child's paternity. An Acknowledgement of Paternity is a legal document signed by an unmarried mother and the father, either in the hospital when the child is born or at a later point in time. Legitimization occurs when the child's mother and biological father get married.
Paternity will need to be determined when the biological father is seeking custody of his child; the mother of the child is pursuing child support or when the natural father wants visitation rights. After fatherhood is legally recognized, the child will have a right to the father's medical information, an inheritance, workers' compensation, Social Security benefits, veteran's benefits, and health insurance.
If you are trying to resolve a family law issue that involves the establishment of paternity, the best person to speak with is a South Florida divorce lawyer. There are various laws and procedures that must be followed in a paternity case that a family law attorney can explain. You can also get legal advice pertaining to your particular situation that can be extremely helpful.
Paternity & Child Custody
Before a biological father can seek custody of his child, he must first establish his fatherhood. Once his relationship to the child has been legally recognized, he will have parental rights regarding where the child will live and how decisions about the child's education, medical care and religion will be made. At Hager, Schwartz & Ross, P.A., we help both mothers and fathers seeking to establish paternity. Our firm has a comprehensive understanding of paternity statutes, which we use when helping an individual resolve a paternity matter. Our family law attorneys know how important paternity can be both to a parent and a child, and will provide you with whatever support is needed to establish fatherhood.
Contact a South Florida paternity lawyer for legal help if you are a mother or father seeking to establish paternity.