Parental And Paternity Disputes In Georgia

When a child is born out of wedlock, some issues may need to be addressed before parental rights and obligations are granted. At Daniels & Rothman, located in Athens, Georgia, we represent fathers and mothers in legitimation and paternity actions. We fight hard to protect your rights in child disputes.

Legitimation – Protecting The Rights Of Fathers

Before the court recognizes your right as a father, it will first have to determine paternity. The process available to a father seeking to establish his parental rights is known as legitimation. Unless you establish the paternity of your child through a legitimation action, you may have no rights at all. Our firm’s founding lawyer, Greg Daniels, will help file the necessary petition to be able to determine the paternity of your child.

Once the court establishes paternity, it will grant you the right to:

• Seek legal or physical custody of your child
• Enjoy visitation, if you do not have joint physical custody over your child
• Receive child support if appropriate
• Have a right to object to the potential adoption of your child

We will also represent mothers in legitimation actions, fighting hard to convince the court that it is in the best interest of a child to deny a father’s rights. Fathers do not have an absolute right to grant a legitimation action. Like all divorce issues affecting a child, the guiding principle is what is in the best interest of a child.

Paternity – Protecting The Rights Of Mothers

While many paternity actions are handled by the attorney general’s office, there are instances when a mother wishes to obtain outside counsel to represent her interests in a paternity action. These actions typically occur when a father refuses to pay child support or when a mother wishes to clarify a father’s duties and responsibilities. Our firm will make sure the interests of you and your child are protected throughout all stages of a paternity action.

We also defend men in paternity actions, defending them against allegations made by a child’s mother. Anytime you are paying child support, you may file a motion to set aside paternity. In this motion, we will prove that new evidence was discovered that there is no chance that you could be the biological father of the disputed child.

Reach Out To Us As Soon As You Can

If you are involved in a paternity or legitimation dispute, contact an attorney at Daniels & Rothman online or over the phone at 706-621-5166 today. We will fight hard to protect your rights in disputes over the paternity of a child.