Reasons To Hire A Paternity Lawyer

Whether you are the mother or father in a paternity case, you need to work with a paternity lawyer. A paternity lawyer can help you in many ways. For example, an experienced paternity lawyer can help you navigate the complexities involved in paternity cases. Family law is quite involved; therefore, it is advisable to hire a paternity lawyer to ensure your rights are protected. Additionally, hiring a paternity lawyer when dealing with a paternity case ensures you have a professional by your side who can ensure final decisions are made only after a thorough consideration of all necessary information.

Below are more reasons to hire a paternity lawyer when dealing with a paternity case;

A Paternity Lawyer Can Help You File a Proper Paternity Action

Regardless of whether you are the child’s mother or father, you have the right to ask the court to establish paternity. If you want to establish paternity in a Florida court, it is crucial that you work with a Florida paternity lawyer. A paternity lawyer can also help you gather and present to the court all the documentation you need to have a successful case. A paternity lawyer will explain the importance of a DNA test prior to establishing paternity, especially for fathers.

A Paternity Lawyer Can Help Ensure Fairness in Determining Timesharing

A paternity lawyer can help you with the issue of timesharing. Whether you are the mother or father, a paternity lawyer can help ensure any decision concerning timesharing is only made after every relevant information has been considered.  These factors are the same factors the Court will evaluate in divorce cases.  Each parent has an equal right to exercise timesharing and shared parental responsibility with each child.  Further, the amount of timesharing will impact child support. These are life-long decisions, and thus, it is crucial that an experienced attorney assist with timesharing issues.

A Paternity Lawyer Can Help Ensure Fairness in Determining Child Support

A paternity lawyer can also help you with the issue of child support.  As a general matter, after a formal establishment of paternity, child support will be established.  If the child or children’s parents lived apart for a substantial time prior to child support being established, then the court can established retroactive support back as far as two years.  This can create a huge child support arrears. Therefore, it is important to pursue paternity as soon after the birth of a child as possible. Again, an experienced paternity lawyer can help ensure that the child support guidelines are applied correctly and commensurate with all factors provided in relevant statutes.

Summary.

When a suit to establish paternity is brought forward, involved parties have to deal with more than just determining the child’s legal father.  Rather, the involved parties will have to deal with issues of timesharing and child support, and possibly retroactive child support. Establishing paternity, child support, and timesharing are all crucial matters that should never be taken lightly. Retaining a skilled paternity lawyer is usually the best thing to do.

Contact a Jacksonville Paternity Lawyer

At The Lasky Law Firm, we are committed to helping either parent in a case to determine the paternity of a child and deal with the issues that follow. So, if you need legal representation regardless of whether you are your child’s mother or father, do not hesitate to reach out to us. Contact one of our Jacksonville paternity lawyers today at 904-399-1644 to schedule a consultation.

Resource:

flcourts.org/content/download/403319/file/983a.pdf