Pine Lake Paternity Attorneys
It can be difficult to challenge and establish paternity when a child is born to unmarried parents. If you’re in a situation like this, you need to work with a skilled and experienced paternity lawyer.
While you can complete the acknowledge form, that isn’t enough to actually establish paternity. What it will do is make sure that you’re listed as the father on the birth certificate of the child. This could also make you liable for child support, but it doesn’t guarantee that you’ll have custody rights.
Paternity issues are extremely complex, and emotions are often high. That makes it all the more important to work with an expert that has dealt with these kinds of cases many times before. With the help of our experienced Pine Lake paternity lawyers, you’ll be able to avoid worst-case scenarios and work towards more favorable outcomes. We can provide assistance with custody issues, visitation, child support, and more.
Call Vayman & Teitelbaum PC on (404) 390-2994 and for a Case Evaluation with an Pine Lake Paternity Attorney now.
Establishing Paternity
In Georgia, fathers are not automatically recognized as a parent of a child unless the couple is married. If you father a child with a woman that you are not married to, your name will not automatically appear on the child’s birth certificate, and you will have no legal rights to the child.
There are three different paths you can take in order to establish paternity in Georgia. These paths are:
- Marrying the mother of the child prior to the child’s birth
- Completing a Voluntary Paternity Acknowledgment form after the child is born
- Securing a court order that recognizes you as the biological father of the child
In many cases, when there are problems establishing paternity, it’s no longer possible to take the first path. Hospitals are required to provide unmarried parents with the opportunity to complete a Voluntary Paternity Acknowledgment form. If the child is born outside a hospital, you can obtain a copy of the form from the State Office of Vital Records or your local Vital Records office. Both parents should sign the form and have it notarized.
When this document is completed, it will ensure that:
- The child will be financially supported by both parents
- The child can build a relationship with both parents
- Both parents will be named on the child’s birth certificate
- The child will have access to benefits from the parent, such as social security.
Once the form has been signed and notarized, it should be filed through the State Office of Vital Records. If you will be working with the Division of Child Support Services, you will also need to take a paternity test to confirm that you are the biological father of the child.
If the paternity test shows that you’re the father of the child, you will be officially recognized as the child’s parent. The information on the Paternity Acknowledgement form will be added to the State Putative Father Registry.
If you are unable to complete a PA form, you can establish paternity via a court order. This path will also require you to take a paternity test.
No matter what path you wind up taking, you should be aware that this process can be fairly complex. You’ll have to read through a lot of legal jargon, and you may not be confident about what steps you should take. That’s why you’ll want to work with an experienced Pine Lake paternity lawyer. Reach out to Vayman & Teitelbaum PC if you want to start the process so that you can get the guidance and support that you need.
Reasons to Establish Paternity
Not only are there are a number of compelling reasons to establish paternity, but there are also strong grounds for you to work with an Pine Lake paternity lawyer during this process. After all, you’ll want to ensure that the process goes as smoothly as possible.
When you have the support of an attorney that specializes in paternity cases, you won’t just be able to make sure that you’re legally recognized as the father of your child. You and your child will also be entitled to benefits under the law. That’s why it’s important to seek out legal representation that will help you establish paternity.
Some of the benefits of establishing paternity include:
- You’ll be named as the father on your child’s birth certificate
- You’ll the opportunity to have visitation rights
- Your child will be able to build a relationship with his or her biological father
- You’ll have the right to select a name for your child along with the child’s mother. If the child has been named without your approval, a name change could be ordered by the court.
- The child will have financial support from both parents
- The medical history of both parents can be used when determining the best ways to treat health issues
- The child will have access to benefits from you, including veteran’s benefits, social security, health insurance, and inheritance.
By working with a dedicated and experienced Pine Lake paternity lawyer, you can make sure that both you and your child have access to all of these benefits. Establishing paternity and winning these benefits can be a long and stressful process, but when you have the support of a paternity lawyer from Vayman & Teitelbaum PC, the process will be much easier.
Parental Rights and Obligations
It’s important to be aware that establishing paternity will give you both rights and obligations under the law. In Georgia, a legal parent has the following rights:
- The right to build and maintain a relationship with the child
- The right to the school and medical records of the child
- The right to seek out child custody
- The right to be notified of an adoption proceeding or a proceeding to terminate the rights of a biological parent.
In addition to these rights, legal parents have obligations under the law. You’ll be required to financially support the child and provide medical insurance, along with the child’s mother. These obligations will continue until the child turns 18.
Our experienced and skilled Pine Lake paternity lawyers can help you fight for your rights. In addition, we’ll work with you to make sure that you’re compliant with the family laws in Georgia. We can offer you guidance on the best way to meet your legal obligations without putting yourself under too much financial strain.
Canceling the PA Form
In some cases, establishing paternity may not be the problem you’re facing. If you’ve signed a PA form, and you would now like to cancel that form, you can do so with the assistance of Vayman & Teitelbaum PC.
PA forms must be canceled within 60 days of the date in which the form is signed. Once this period has passed, the form is permanently recognized. However, it can still be challenged on certain grounds, such as fraud, duress, or mistake of fact.
To pursue a challenge, those grounds must be supported by evidence. If you decide to move forward with this, Vayman & Teitelbaum PC can help you to gather evidence that will strengthen your case. This will greatly increase your chances of success.
With that said, you should also be aware that if your name is currently on the birth certificate of the child, canceling a PA will not cause your name to be removed. If you want to change the birth certificate and/or the surname of the child, either you or the mother of the child will have to secure a court order.
This order should provide the State Office of Vital Records with instructions on how the birth certificate should be amended. It should specify which name needs to be removed from the birth certificate, as well as the name of the person that will be listed as the child’s father.
This can be an overwhelming and difficult process, which is why you shouldn’t go through it alone. Instead, you should partner with an experienced Pine Lake paternity lawyer from Vayman & Teitelbaum PC that can help you to avoid potential mishaps. Working with an attorney can help you avoid setbacks and resolve this issue as swiftly as possible.
Challenging Paternity
In order to challenge paternity, your case must be presented in court. You will be required to have grounds for the challenge, such as mistake of fact, fraud, or duress. In addition to filing your challenge and scheduling a court date, you’ll have to present a case during the court.
Successfully challenging paternity will require you to complete forms and affidavits. Since this process can be fairly complex, it’s best to work with an experienced Pine Lake paternity lawyer that will be able to handle paperwork and provide you with guidance and legal advice throughout the process.
In addition to supporting your challenge, your lawyer from Vayman & Teitelbaum PC will give you a better sense of what your responsibilities are under the law. Even while you’re challenging your paternity, you’ll still have legal obligations, such as child support payments. Child support won’t be frozen during the challenge without cause. Failure to meet these obligations could cause problems for you, which is why having legal representation is so crucial.
Paternity and Legitimation
In Georgia, paternity and legitimation are classified as distinct concepts. Paternity is solely determined by biology. You can establish paternity by proving that you are the biological father of the child. When paternity is established, you will have responsibilities and obligations to your child, such as financial support.
However, there’s more to legitimation that biology. Establishing paternity doesn’t mean that you have legal custody or visitation rights. In Georgia, your child must be legitimized in order for you to have these rights. When a child is legitimized, you have legally established your relationship with the child.
A simpler way to put it is this: establishing paternity means that you’ll be responsible for providing financial support. To gain access to parenting time and custody, legitimation is necessary. While the differences between these two concepts aren’t always easy to understand, our paternity lawyers at Vayman & Teitelbaum PC are here to answer your questions and provide you with assistance.
The Right Paternity Law Firm
We’re proud to say that some of the top paternity lawyers in Pine Lake work at Vayman & Teitelbaum PC. Not only do we have a strong track record, but we also have extensive experience with family law. We go above and beyond for all our clients to ensure that they have access to the best possible legal support.
At Vayman & Teitelbaum PC, we understand that paternity issues can be difficult to navigate. Paternity is something that holds a lot of emotional weight, and since laws change over time, it can be difficult to know what your rights are. When you work with us, you can trust that you’ll have expert-level support as you work to resolve your issues. We’ll help you resolve your situation quickly, minimizing your expense.
If you need help navigating the paternity laws, reach out to Vayman & Teitelbaum PC today.
Call Today for a Consultation
If you are planning to establish your paternity and take on the responsibilities and rights associated with it, or if you want to challenge a claim of paternity against you, you need to talk to an experienced Pine Lake paternity attorney. The attorneys at Vayman & Teitelbaum PC are here to help.
Contact Vayman & Teitelbaum PC at (404) 390-2994 and consult our expert Pine Lake Paternity Attorneys right now.