Paternity

Orlando Paternity Lawyers

“Paternity” refers to the legal determination of who is the father of the child. Fatherhood is very rewarding and joyful, but it also carries many responsibilities. A father is responsible for being emotionally involved with the child; to help make decisions about the child’s life, education and health; and to financially support the child. When a child is born in a marriage, it is presumed that the husband is the legal father. It is also presumed that an ex-husband is the father is a child for a certain period of time after a divorce is final. But these presumptions are arguable and evidence can be shown to disprove paternity. In some case, it is unclear who the father is.

A man who does not believe he is the child’s father, may want to deny paternity. On the other hand, the mother of a child may want to establish a person’s paternity so as to require that the person is accountable for the responsibilities of fatherhood. There are times when a mother refuses to allow a man to participate in the child’s life and denies him the joy and responsibilities of fatherhood. In such cases, the father may want to assert his rights by establishing paternity.

Furthermore, when unmarried persons have children, the rights of the father may need to be resolved through a paternity action. It is not uncommon for unmarried persons to have children in today’s society. When a child is conceived out of wedlock, even though there may no longer be a social stigma associated with such an event, there can be problems involvingthe parents. They may not always agree on how the child should be raised. They may also argue over custody, visitation, andchild support.

At Longwell Lawyers, we have the experience in helping people with paternity matters and helping with child support, child custody and visitation rights. If you are in need of representation in a paternity action, please call our office to set up a consultation.