Guidance Through Paternity And Legitimation
At Claridge Law Firm LLC, we help parents throughout Georgia who want their relationship with their children to be legally recognized through a paternity or legitimation order. We can help both parents establish legal rights that can result from paternity and legitimation actions, such as arranging a visitation schedule and petitioning for child support payments.
There are many legal benefits to having your familial relationship legally acknowledged, and at Claridge Law Firm LLC, we are here to help you facilitate these options. As a husband-and-wife team with a strong family law practice, we believe in strengthening family bonds and ensuring that these personal issues are approached with a personal touch. If you have questions or need help with a paternity issue, we encourage you to Contact our office today to schedule a consultation to speak with one of our family law attorneys.
Legitimation Actions In Georgia
In Georgia, a biological father can only be legally recognized either by marrying the child’s mother or by an order of legitimation being granted by the family or juvenile courts. This will usually involve a DNA test to prove paternity and establish fathers’ rights. Our lawyers can help you file the appropriate legitimation papers with the court and appear with you at the required hearing, where the court will review your petition and rule whether the court should legitimate your child.
The Legal Benefits Of Paternity Actions
If the court does legitimate your child, there are a wide variety of legal benefits and options available to both the biological mother and father, including:
- Your child is now allowed to automatically inherit from you, and you can inherit from your child
- The biological mother may seek child support payments from you, however, no automatic claim exists for custody since Georgia sees these two issues as mutually exclusive
- A father may be granted visitation rights if deemed fit, which may eventually lead to a custody arrangement granted by the court
- An informal visitation arrangement that is subject to each parent’s needs can be formalized with a paternity action
No matter what kind of outcome you are looking for, we are here to explore all available options for pursuing that result.
Let Our Team Stand Up For Your Needs
Often, formalizing parent-and-child relationships through the court with a paternity and legitimation action can create a structure that strengthens these bonds. Our firm is here to assist you in this process by counseling you as to the procedures, the paperwork and what you need to prove or prevent these actions.
Meet With Us Today
Contact our office by calling 706-860-4500 to schedule an initial consultation to see how we can help you with any issue related to paternity or legitimation.