Legitimation & Paternity
In Georgia, legitimation is a legal term referring to the establishment of the paternity of a child. Most often an order of legitimation is sought in an attempt by a mother to obtain child support payments or by a father to gain custody or visitation rights. Either way, it is important to consult an attorney as soon as possible to see what is needed to legitimate a child.
Health & Medical Reasons
Confirming the identity of the father of a child is important to your child's health care and medical treatments. In many medical situations it is important to know family health history in order to provide optimal medical care. Your family medical history is knowledge that remains important throughout your life - give this to your child while you can.
A written agreement may be needed to establish paternity, but in the case of a contested paternity situation, a DNA test will likely be necessary.
The father of a child has responsibilities when it comes to that child's care. This includes helping to support the child financially. Additionally, a father has rights when it comes to his child. He has the right to request legal or physical custody and have a say in the decisions made regarding the child's future. He also has the right to request the opportunity to visit his child in the case that he and the child's mother are not living together.
The Gunn Firm is experienced with orders of legitimation and is dedicated to helping our clients, both mothers and fathers, in establishing paternity for their children. We most often see this as necessary when a man and woman have a child out of wedlock or while a married couple is going through a divorce or legal separation and there is a question about the paternity of their child.
Determining Paternity
Determining paternity may be a fairly simple process when both the mother and the father agree upon the father's paternity. In this case, a signed legal agreement may be all that is needed. However, having a father's name on a birth certificate or having a child share the father's last name may not be enough to fully establish paternity in the case of a dispute between the mother and father. In this case, DNA testing may be needed in order to establish paternity. Either way, we can help you through this process.
We offer free consultations. If you would like to learn more about paternity or legitimation matters simply call 404-969-4505 or contact us online
We are dedicated to providing families throughout Cobb, Cherokee, Dekalb, Fulton and Paulding counties in Georgia with the superior representation they need. This includes the cities of Acworth, Atlanta, Austell, Canton, Dallas, Decatur, Dunwoody, Hiram, Kennesaw, Marietta, Powder Springs, Roswell, Sandy Springs, Smyrna, Vinings, Woodstock and surrounding communities.