Our firm has handled thousands of cases involving fathers asserting their paternity rights and mothers seeking the establishment of paternity for their children. We have filed paternity complaints containing requests for adjudication, blood tests, custody rights, parenting time schedules, and appropriate child support. We have also represented clients who have been served with a complaint, but deny their paternity.
Unmarried parents need to consider their special circumstances. It is very important to understand that fathers, when unmarried, are given no custodial rights, unless they affirmatively seek such rights. Child support, however, may be taken from a father even before his legal rights to see his child are established. Unmarried mothers retain sole legal and physical custody by operation of law, but in order to establish child support, a court process may be necessary.