Paternity can be involved in a divorce case or any case for that matter amongst a couple that potentially shares a child together. It may have been a short relationship or even a couple that is still currently together that deals with a matter of paternity. Why is it important to establish paternity? There are a number of reasons that will depend on the situation at hand.
Paternity is important when it comes to the child between a couple. There may be questions as to which man is the biological father if the mother was with more than one partner, even if it was only once. There are many responsibilities that are incorporated with being a parent and it is necessary to establish who that responsibility belongs to. One of the main factors will be financial. A father can still be held accountable for child support even if the mother is the main one responsible for the child. This can be importa犀利士 nt for a mother than needs assistance, or even a man that is paying support but believes another party may actually be the biological father.
This can also be important when it comes to determining matters of custody and visitation. It will be the biological father that is able to pursue rights over a child, not just the person the mother is dating at the time she has the child. They will have no rights; only those that can prove paternity or if the mother had no other partners. This is also valuable for a mother that is looking to have the father also share the responsibility of taking care of the child, possibly looking to share custody. I have assisted many clients looking to establish paternity and incorporate this into their family law case. Contact my office if you have a related matter.