You May Need a Lawyer to Establish Paternity
Why is it crucial to establish the legal paternity of a child? There are no parental rights for unwed fathers until paternity is determined. In addition, the child has no rights to child support or other benefits without paternity.
Trapp Law Firm represents men seeking to establish rights to their children, women seeking to establish court-ordered child support and men contesting paternity. To schedule a free consultation with experienced Kansas City paternity attorneys, please call (855) TRAPPLAW today.
Do You Need to File a Paternity Action?
A paternity action can be filed by either the mother or the alleged father. DNA testing is typically used to prove or disprove paternity. A paternity test may not be required if there is no disagreement between the parents about who the father is. If a man has been wrongly named as the father, he can file a paternity suit to prove that the child is not his. In these cases, DNA testing will be used.
In Missouri, an unwed father can sign an affidavit of paternity when the baby is born to establish a legal determination of paternity. He must do this before he can be named as the father on the child's birth certificate. This affidavit will not provide for rights and obligations such as custody, visitation or child support, however. To establish these rights, a court order must be filed.
It is important for unmarried fathers to be legally recognized as their child's father. Their rights to child custody and visitation cannot begin until paternity has been legally established. Legal paternity also gives children the right to child support, health care benefits and inheritance rights.
Jefferson City Parental Rights Attorneys
To schedule a free consultation, please call (855) TRAPPLAW or contact us online.
