Why Do I Need to Establish Paternity?

What to Do if You’re Struggling to Obtain Paternity

We all know that our children are the most important things in our lives. As parents, we need to take care of our children to the best of our ability and give them love, encouragement, and joy. This isn’t an easy task for many parents– especially if a father may not know he has a child or is working to obtain paternity and enjoy all the benefits that a parent should enjoy.

Paternity issues can often cause both sides to seek a lawsuit, especially if there were previous problems in the relationship. So, finding the right family law attorney near you in Sarasota, Bradenton, Lakewood Ranch, or Venice, Florida can help with your paternity legal issues greatly.

If you are a mom and the father doesn’t want to claim the child, or if you are a dad but the mom doesn’t admit you are the father, then you need the assistance of the Law Offices of Matthew Z. Martell, a leading Sarasota family law attorney. Sarasota attorney Matthew Z. Martell focuses solely on family law and can help both moms and dads when it comes to paternity issues.

Why do I Need to Establish Paternity?

There are many reasons to establish paternity. All children deserve to have two parents. If you think you may have fathered a child, or if a former boyfriend doesn’t want to claim paternity, here are just a few reasons you need a Sarasota, Bradenton, Lakewood Ranch, or Venice, Florida family law lawyer like Attorney Matthew Z. Martell to fight for you and your child.

Every child has the right to have a relationship with both of their parents. When paternity is established, the child automatically gains legal benefits that they are entitled to. They include:

Every child has the right to benefit financially from his or her birth father. Mothers shouldn’t be solely financially responsible for supporting their children. The father should also play an emotional, physical and financial role in their children’s lives. This means he should be paying child support regularly. The child (or children) should also be able to receive some sort of probate financial remuneration from the death of the Father or receive other financial benefits like life insurance due to his untimely death.
Children should have certain knowledge of the father’s medical history. This is important for the child’s health and wellness, especially if there are certain genetic health issues on the father’s side of the family.

Can Paternity be Established Without the Birth Father’s Cooperation?

The answer is “yes.” If a child is not acknowledged by the father or the father refutes the claim that the child is his, the mother should contact the local Child Support Enforcement office to get paternity and child support established. Mothers should also seek the help of an experienced Sarasota, Bradenton, Lakewood Ranch, and Venice, Florida family law lawyer near her such as Matthew Z. Martell to help guide them through this legal process and help them with the issues of establishing child custody, which is called parental responsibility in Florida, and child visitation, which is called timesharing in Florida. The Florida Department of Revenue- Office of Child Support Enforcement cannot represent you on any issues pertaining to parental responsibility and timesharing.

Here is the process that a Sarasota, Bradenton, Lakewood Ranch, or Venice, Florida paternity lawyer near you such as Attorney Matthew Z. Martell will help you work through as new parents:

Discuss the situation with the mother and have her sign legal paperwork indicating the identity of the father.
Locate the father with assistance from the Child Support Enforcement Office, IRS, Social Security Administration, and/or Department of Defense.
Contact the father and give him a chance to legally acknowledge paternity.
If necessary, legally request that the Father and the child get DNA genetic test results.
Unless the biological father contests the DNA test results, the results will be considered conclusive after the legal determination of paternity and after 60 days.

Get Help from a Local Sarasota Family Law Lawyer:

Those that live in the Sarasota, Bradenton, Lakewood Ranch, and Venice, Florida area seeking a family law lawyer that handles paternity need to contact our team at the Law Offices of Matthew Z. Martell, P.A. We can help those needing a paternity lawyer for the types of paternity issues discussed above. We are familiar with all the local judges and local attorneys and will let single parents know what rights they and their children have.

Know your legal rights and get help from one of the best Sarasota divorce lawyers. Contact our team today at (941) 556-7020 to schedule a phone consultation to discuss your legal problem in greater detail and see if we can help you. We can help mothers and father obtain the legal rights that they and their children deserve.