Establishing the paternity of a child is very important to the child, to the child’s household, and to the child’s father. When a child is born outside of a marriage, the child’s father has no legal rights with respect to that child until the father’s paternity of the child is legally established.
Once paternity is established for a father, he can take steps to get parenting time with the child, and also becomes entitled to all the rights of a parent, such as input for important parenting decisions, access to the child’s medical records, and all the parental rights that go with a child’s school attendance, such as speaking with teachers and attending school activities.
For a mother of a child who is not married to the child’s father, the establishment of paternity is the way to get child support payments started to help with financial support of the child, as well as numerous other benefits the child may be entitled to, such as health care coverage through the father, and Social Security benefits or inheritance rights that may flow from the father.
Why Choose Our Law Firm?
Clay Foster has 18 years experience in handling and litigating paternity matters. At Bott & Foster, we can discuss your particular situation with regard to the legal steps and ramifications of establishing paternity for a child, whether you are the mother or the father.
Nothing on this website constitutes legal advice or creates an attorney client relationship. The information contained on this website is not applicable to all situations and/or jurisdictions. This website contains no express or implied promises/warranties.