New Jersey Paternity Attorney

Paternity Issues & Divorce

Paternity issues usually occur when a child is born out of wedlock. In order to establish or maintain parental rights including custody, child support and visitation, it may become necessary to establish the legal paternity of such a child. There are various ways a man can establish his paternity with or without the cooperation of the child's mother. If you have questions about your rights and what the legal steps are to establish paternity you should contact a New Jersey divorce attorney at The Law Office of Steven P. Monaghan. We can explain your rights as a parent and review the situation you are trying to solve in order to help you accomplish your goal.

If you wish to claim custody or want to gain the right of visitation it may be a simple matter of filing your claim with the court or by filing an acknowledgement of paternity with the local registrar of vital statistics. It can also be established by the fact of your providing child support to the child whether you are living with the family or not. If your paternity is contested, we can help you establish your paternity through a voluntary blood test or through a court ordered blood test.

Paternity Lawyer in New Jersey

There are a number of standards established by the New Jersey's Parentage Act that serve to prove the paternity of a child. Several of these include:

• That the man and mother of the child are married or were married within 300 days of the child's birth.
• Following the child's birth, the man and mother attempted or did get married and the father legally filed his paternity as above or attempted to have his name placed on the child's birth certificate, openly treated the child as his own or was legally obligated to support the child under a written agreement or court order.
• The man provides child support and openly acknowledges them as his child while the child is a minor.
• The man files his paternity in writing with the local registrar of vital statistics and the child's mother does not dispute it.

Should you have any questions or concerns about establishing paternity, child support or visitation you should call our offices and we will answer those question clearly and simply.

Contact a New Jersey paternity lawyer to get answers to any questions you have about establishing the paternity of your child or your rights as a parent.