Areas of Practice

Both fathers and mothers have a right to request a Court ruling concerning the paternity of a child. A paternity test can be performed in order to prove the identity of the father, and if not all parties are in agreement to conducting the test, the Court can order it to occur. Once paternity is proven, the father has the legal ability to seek parental rights and responsibilities through the Court system. The mother may seek assistance from the father in the form of child support or health insurance for the child. Paternity testing does not have to be done when the child is an infant. There is no set deadline on seeking to involve a father in the financial and physical care of a child.