Parentage

If you and a partner have a child and you are not married or parentage is an issue, it is important to formally establish a parental relationship in order to preserve your legal right to have access to the children (i.e. custody and visitation) as well to exercise your right to receive child support. Most often, parentage needs to be established when children are born to parents who are not married at their birth or when children are raised by a parent who might not be biologically related to the child but has raised the child.

Parentage can be agreed to outside of court and issues such as custody and support maybe settled via Negotiation, Mediation or the Collaborative process.  Parentage might also be contested in court, in front of a judge.  Each parentage case is different and requires careful assessment by an experienced attorney, whether that attorney is representing you or serving in a consulting role.