When issues of paternity come up, it’s rarely a question mark of who the mother is, as the child was brought into this world by her. Sometimes it’s hard to know who the father is. Or rather, it can be difficult to prove who the father is. The legal significance of paternity allows a parent certain rights to seek visitation, custody etc. However, it also guarantees the child something.

That is financial support. Regardless of whether the father has a claim to visitation or child custody rights, the child has the right to be financially supported by that parent. This is a big deal as it can open doors of opportunity for that child and can ensure they are better cared for, with a stream of financial support, in the form of child support, paid by the father. Whether the father acquiesces or not to this process, the mother and the court can take steps to ensure that he holds up his end of the financial responsibility for his child.

Establishing paternity can lay a child’s stake to his or her claim. It also does open the door for fathers to seek custody or visitation rights. Whether they will or won’t be granted, a father has the right to seek them. At the [nap_names id=”FIRM-NAME-1″], we know that there is much that needs to be decided with these court requests, often from both sides, by mother and father. We are able to give advice and guide our clients to a favorable resolution.

Whether you are the father seeking father’s rights and/or paternity or the mother seeking to have it a matter of legal record, there are often many sides to this issue. Courts will often make decisions in the best interests of the child. That can help you frame the answer the court may seek in these issues of paternity and child custody.