In our last blog, we went over What Should You Do If You’re Served With Paternity Papers. If you’ve been served with paternity papers, you’re probably very afraid of what the outcome will be. It can be scary to find out you have a child out in the world that you didn’t know about. If you are in need of hiring a family lawyer to help you through this transition in your life and to ensure your rights are represented, then don’t hesitate to reach out to Lopez & Wilmert, LLP. As a family law firm that specializes in family law, we’re able to help you with divorces, paternity cases, adoptions, and child custody to name a few of our services. If you are interested in gaining custody of your child, be sure to read What To Know About Child Custody, What You Need To Know Going Into A Child Custody Battle, and The Basics About Child Support.
What Is A Paternity Test?
A paternity test can help to determine if a man is the biological father of a child. The procedure is very simple and works by collecting DNA from a child and the potential biological father of the child. The DNA is usually a small amount of body fluid such as saliva or tissue. Once the DNA is collected it will be examined and the results will be determined to figure out whether the man is really the child’s father.
There are a few different types of paternity tests. The first is when a child is older and can be swabbed or tissue taken to test for DNA. Another type of paternity test is when a paternity test is for an unborn child while the child is in utero. Paternity tests can be ordered for a custody case, as a way to establish rights, or for when a mother is asking for child support. A paternity test is specifically for men, but there are maternity tests for women as well. Paternity or maternity tests can be administered for when there are issues with surrogate mothers, with an adopted child, mixups at the hospital, or during in vitro fertilization. At Lopez & Wilmert LLP, as a family law firm, we’re able to help you establish parental rights or to administer a paternity test if needed.
How Can A Father Prove Paternity?
If you are interested in a paternity case, then Lopez & Wilmert LLP can help you obtain your rights. If you are a father who is interested in proving paternity for a child, then you can do so in a few ways. The first way is by contesting paternity rights. Contesting paternity rights means that a mother is looking to get child support from the father or wants to encourage the father in parenting time with the child. Contesting paternity rights can be done in private actions or by the state. The second way a father can prove paternity is by not contesting paternity rights. This happens if a child is born and the parents are married, but then another man comes into the picture and claims the child is his. Another way a man can prove paternity for a child is because of a court order declaring paternity rights. When this happens it’s generally because a mother is not willing to allow a man to be the father and he needs to petition to a court to declare himself the father.
Learn more about paternity to determine your next steps.