Paternity

Augusta GA Paternity Lawyer

In Georgia there are very clear cut laws concerning paternity, and there are several different types of scenarios that revolve around paternity issues from a legal perspective. One of the most common types of paternity cases involves a woman claiming that a particular man is the father of her child when the man denies it. This often occurs when the mother is seeking child support, but it can also take place simply because the woman wants to set the record straight for emotional reasons and for the good of the child. Clearly, we all want to know who our parents are, and this is one aspect of paternity law.

Another very common type of paternity law case involves a man seeking to assert his rights as the parent of a child that he fathered against the wishes of the mother. Fathers do have rights to visitation and even the potential custody of their children. In Georgia custody is not automatically granted to the mother, so fathers have the right to petition the court and make the case that they are better equipped to be the custodial parent. However, before it can get to that stage, the issue of paternity needs to be addressed, so the onus would be on the man in question to prove that he was in fact the father of the child.

These days, matters of paternity are much easier to sort out than they once were. Due to the emergence of DNA testing, paternity can be proven, so judges are not asked to make a decision that can never be made with absolute certainty. Clearly, the details surrounding a paternity case are not something that the average person would have any understanding of, yet, it may be the most important circumstance in an individual's life. Experienced Georgia paternity lawyers have spent their careers helping their clients prove or disprove their paternity, and they know exactly how to approach the court and go about arranging DNA testing if it is appropriate. Paternity matters can be complex, and they should never be undertaken without the representation of a qualified Georgia family lawyer.