Establishing Paternity In Florida With The Help Of Skilled Legal Representation

In Florida, a father must establish paternity to enforce their rights to parental responsibility, time sharing and child custody. This process is not always as straightforward as it sounds. There are several administrative steps that can drain your wallet and drag on for a long period of time.

Gonzalez & Associates, PLLC,in West Palm Beach, has handled hundreds and hundreds of paternity cases. They know how to move your case along as quickly as possible. This allows you and your children to move forward with your lives and to establish a stable environment for the child or children.

How Unwed Parents Establish Paternity In Florida

When a couple is married, then the state considers the husband the child’s father. Unwed parents must establish paternity in one of three ways:

• If the mother and father agree on the child’s paternity, then they can sign a Voluntary Acknowledgement of Paternity.
• One of the parents can petition the court to order a genetic test for the child and the alleged father.
• Even if a man and woman have already signed a Voluntary Acknowledgement of Paternity, another man can petition the court for a paternity test if he has reason to believe that he is the child’s biological father. If he is the child’s biological father, he can enforce his parental rights.

The family law firm of Gonzalez & Associates, PLLC, can discuss your options for establishing paternity and explain the steps in the process to you.

What Are My Rights As A Father?

In Florida, when a woman is married and gives birth, the law presumes that the child’s father is the mother’s husband. However, when the woman is not married at the time of the child’s birth, paternity must be established, either voluntarily or through a court order.

If no one voluntarily acknowledges paternity of a child, the following people can ask the court system to legally establish paternity.

• The child’s mother
• The man who believes he is the biological father
• The child through a legal representative, or
• The Florida department of revenue.

Why Establish Paternity?

A father in the state of Florida has absolutely no rights to time share and/or make decisions on behalf of the minor child if he does not establish paternity. In other words, if paternity has not been established paternity, the child may be removed from the county and/or state without the father’s permission.

It is critical for you to establish paternity if you want to have an equal voice in decisions concerning the child’s healthcare, education and religious upbringing among other major issues. A father cannot obtain these rights without establishing paternity.

Resolve Your Paternity Case With Our Help

Get our attorneys’ help to establish paternity. Going forward, we can also help you seek child support, parenting responsibility or time-sharing rights. Schedule an initial consultation when you call 561-228-6318. You can also contact us online.