Paternity Attorney in Overland Park, Kansas

Whether you are the mother or potential father of a child, determining paternity is important. It's the first step in establishing parental rights, financial rights, and obligations. A skilled family law attorney can assist parents seeking to establish or disprove paternity, and help them with the associated legal issues, including child support and custody, visitation and government benefits.

DETERMINING PATERNITY IN KANSAS

Paternity cases involving proving that someone is or is not the biological father of a child through the use of DNA testing.

Paternity cases arise in one of three ways:

• Either the mother or the state of Kansas seeks child support for a child born out of wedlock

• During or after a divorce, when either the mother or presumed father seeks to prove or disprove paternity

• A man who is not married to a mother seeks to establish that he is the father of a child

UNDERSTANDING THE IMPORTANCE OF PATERNITY

Establishing paternity is particularly important for a child because it allows the child to obtain a number of benefits through the father, including child support, inheritance rights, and social security or disability benefits. It is also important for fathers who can then seek custody or shared parenting with the mother.

The right to parent a child is not based on whether or not the father is married to the mother. As long as the father is fit, he has a right to spend time with his child and be a part of his child’s life. A biological father’s right to custody is greater than that of other parties, including grandparents and extended family members.

Kansas laws also provide protection for fathers who have assumed parental responsibilities, such as supporting the mother through her pregnancy, helping to raise the child, and paying child support. Contact Mark Jeffers to learn more about your rights as a father.