There have been many instances where a couple separates and the woman later finds out she’s pregnant. If she waits until after the birth to tell the father, the father might not have signed the birth certificate and might not be legally declared the child’s father. When he finds out he is a father, he may want to try to obtain partial or full custody. In these cases, he’s definitely going to want to speak with a Child Custody Attorney in Fair Oaks CA, to get help.
Determining the Paternity
A person may legally be determined to be a child’s father if their name is on the birth certificate or if they were married to the mother when the child was born. Outside of this, the person is going to need to be sure they are the father before they can request custody. This is done by taking a paternity test and can be done with or without a court order. If the mother doesn’t want a paternity test done, the father is going to need to have it court ordered if they can show there is a high chance they are the father of the child.
Fighting for Custody
Once it has been determined the person is the father through a paternity test, the next step is to petition for partial or full custody. The courts typically prefer for the parents to share custody as it’s better for a child to have both the mother and father in their life. However, there are times when it may be better for the father to have full custody. In these cases, they’ll want to work with the lawyer to request full custody instead of shared or partial custody.
If you’ve found out you’re a father, and you’d like to have some custody to spend time with your child, hiring a Child Custody Attorney in Fair Oaks CA, is going to be the fastest and easiest way for this to happen. You’ll want to contact the Law Office of Hugh O. Allen today to set up a consultation so you can discuss your situation with an attorney and find out what your options are.
