For many unmarried couples who share a child, whether they are in a serious relationship or casually dating, establishing paternity is critical. This helps ensure that both parents are financially responsible for the child, while also giving the father legal rights. If you are unsure how to establish paternity or why this is important, you’ll want to keep reading. The following blog covers what you should know about these matters, including the importance of working with Morris County family lawyers to help guide you through this process.
Why Should I Establish Paternity?
There are a number of reasons you may want to establish paternity for your child. One of the most important reasons is that it ensures the child’s father is responsible for helping to financially raise the child through child support. This, in turn, helps to ensure that the child has access to more resources to help them succeed and thrive. Additionally, this can also provide the child with access to better health insurance if the father’s coverage is more comprehensive than the mother’s.
In addition to the potential for accessing better healthcare, you’ll find that knowing who a child’s father is is critical for matters related to the child’s health. Knowing each parent’s medical history is critical, as it allows the child’s doctors to look for signs and symptoms of hereditary diseases or conditions that the child could be predisposed to based on their parentage.
Establishing paternity can also help provide a child with a stronger sense of identity. This can help increase a sense of belonging within both sides of their family.
What Are the Steps Involved in This Process?
If you wish to establish paternity for a child, it’s important to understand that there are different avenues you may pursue based on the circumstances.
Generally, if you are married at the time of the child’s birth, the husband is presumed to be the biological father of the child. However, if you are not married at the time of the birth, there are typically two routes to establish paternity. At the time of the child’s birth, the father can sign a Certificate of Parentage to be legally deemed the child’s father. The other option is to file an order of paternity with the court.
An order of paternity is usually necessary if there is uncertainty regarding whether or not the alleged father is the child’s biological parent. Typically, this requires either parent looking to establish legal paternity to file a motion with the court, which will then order DNA testing. This must be done in a lab to ensure that the test is accurate and no outside factors can influence the outcome. If the test result is a 95% match or higher, the man is deemed the child’s biological father.
If you need assistance during this process, the team at Leslie Law Firm, LLC is here to help. Contact us today to learn how we can represent you during these difficult matters.
