Paternity

Family Law – Divorce
More than 30 years of experience

Cook County / Lake County Paternity Lawyer and DNA Paternity Testing Attorney

Illinois Paternity

Establishing paternity is an important step in your child's future, as well as the future of the father and mother. It not only establishes who is responsible for the financial support of the child, it also establishes parental rights. If you are the father of a child and have not established your parental rights, you have no right to custody or visitation. If you are the mother of a child and are seeking child support from the father, you have no right to such a claim unless the father has either voluntarily acknowledged that the child is his, or has been determined to be the father by means of a DNA test.

At the Barrington, Illinois, Law Offices of Alexandra M. Goddard, we can help you establish parental rights and obtain a legal determination regarding who is the father of your child.

Ms. Alexandra M. Goddard, our Barrington paternity lawyer, has been helping mothers and fathers deal with paternity matters for more than thirty years. Ms. Goddard’s knowledge of the law and experience with handling such matters can make the entire paternity process easier.

Contact our Lake County domestic violence lawyer for a no-cost initial consultation regarding your paternity matter.

Establishing Parental Rights and Obligations

There are several ways to establish parental rights and legally determine who is the father of a child. The most simple is by having the father sign a voluntary acknowledgement of parenthood. This method works well when the father is ready and willing to take responsibility for the child. However, in some cases the man involved may deny that he is the father of the child. In these cases, determining paternity can be difficult and often requires the help of an attorney.

In these situations, we must look to other means, such as DNA testing, to determine the identity of the father. Sometimes the potential father will agree to a DNA test; in other cases, the man wants nothing to do with testing and must be forced via court order to undergo testing. We can file a petition with the court to help make this happen.

Once the identity of the father is determined and parental rights have been established, you can take the next step which involves establishing custody, visitation and determining child support.

Contact Us

If you need help with a paternity matter, contact our Lake County paternity lawyer today to put our knowledge and experience to work for you. We offer a no-cost initial consultation to all prospective clients, along with reasonable fees and a willingness to work with you regarding fee arrangements. Credit cards accepted. Evening and weekend meetings are available by appointment to suit your busy schedule.