Fathers have several rights when it comes to their children. Fathers rights include the ability to visit their children, the right to be consulted before children are presented for adoption, and other legal issues regarding the male parental relationship with children. A fathers rights lawyer helps a man fight for each of his parental rights and typically obtains a more positive outcome than the father could without legal representation. Getting a free consultation with an attorney that will fight for your fathers rights is easy and one of the most important calls you will ever make.
Fathers Rights – Fight for Your Family!
Whether they were married to each other or not, both biological parents have a right to request child custody or visitation. When parents cannot agree on custody or visitation, the issue is taken to court, where child custody decisions are based on the best interests of the child–this means that the court will take into account your fathers rights. Barring any evidence to the contrary, father’s equal custody rights and visitation rights are presumed. These courts believe that children benefit from the involvement of both parents.
Unmarried fathers must establish paternity legally before they are granted fathers rights. In its simplest form, this requires both parents to sign and file an acknowledgement of paternity with the relevant court or state agency. This can be done when the child is born or at a later date. If paternity is disputed, a legal process that includes DNA testing is involved. The court will ultimately issue an order that states whether the male is the biological father of the child. Once you have proven that the children are yours, you can move on to asking for your fathers rights to be enforced.
After a father establishes paternity, he may pursue custody or visitation. Some states permit paternity recognition and dad’s rights to visitation or custody to be filed simultaneously. Prior to or during the legal process, parents may negotiate a parenting agreement that details which one will have primary custody, the visitation schedule of the other parent, and who will make decisions regarding the health care, religion, and education of the child.
Court involvement may be requested to file a parenting agreement. This document will then be incorporated into a court custody or visitation order, providing both parents with a legal basis for enforcing parenting rights. If parents cannot agree on custody or visitation, either one may request a contested hearing. Many fathers are awarded shared custody or child visitation through this process. Fighting for your fathers rights with custody hearings can be an intimidating situation to find yourself in without the help of an expert fathers rights lawyer. It is important to know the common pitfalls that many men need to avoid when involved in a fathers rights custody case.
A fathers rights lawyer helps an unmarried or divorcing male parent navigate the legal requirements to receive the parental involvement he desires. If a change is desired in the future, an expert fathers rights lawyer can petition the court to modify the child custody or visitation order. With legal assistance, fathers can exercise their rights to benefit their children. Your children deserve to have you fight for them–and finding an attorney for a free consultation is important and the easiest first step.
