Paternity can play a critical role in many family law disputes. However, paternity is often unknown. It can be important to establish who a child’s father is for many reasons, including the rights to child custody and child support requirements. If you need help establishing or contesting paternity in Orlando, Florida, Conti Moore Law Divorce Lawyers, PLLC can help.
Our Orlando paternity lawyers have 50+ years of experience helping families in central Florida deal with complex family law matters. Whether you’re getting a divorce or trying to modify the terms of an agreement, we’re here to provide the support and guidance you need during this difficult time.
Contact our law offices, conveniently located in Orlando, FL, at (407) 831-0203 to schedule a free consultation to learn more.
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How Conti Moore Law Divorce Lawyers, PLLC Can Help You Navigate a Paternity Issue
That’s where our Orlando family law attorneys can help. To us, children must come first.
Our law firm is here to help you protect them in any way we can. That includes navigating emotionally-charged paternity battles or disputes.
We can help you:
- Establish or confirm paternity to support a request for child support benefits or secure parental rights, or
- Contest paternity if you do not believe you are a child’s biological parent.
Once paternity has been established, we can help you achieve your desired outcomes in related child custody and child support matters.
We’ve been advocates for families in Orlando, Florida for years. When you hire our law firm, you’ll benefit from decades of experience and Orlando divorce attorneys who have successfully negotiated and litigated hundreds of family law cases.
Give our Orlando law office a call to arrange a free case evaluation today.
Paternity Can Impact Child Custody and Child Support in an Orlando Divorce
In many family law divorce cases, identifying a child’s parents is often critical. Parents have many rights and obligations under the law.
These include:
- The right to physical and/or legal custody of a child;
- The right to visitation in a time-sharing agreement; and
- The requirement to pay child support.
Rights and obligations related to custody and support can only be enforced if there’s proof that an individual is, in fact, a child’s parent. Identifying a child’s mother is fairly straightforward.
Determining who the father is can be more challenging, especially when a child is born out of wedlock.
How Conti Moore Law Divorce Lawyers, PLLC Can Help You Navigate a Paternity Issue
That’s where our Orlando family law attorneys can help. To us, children must come first.
Our law firm is here to help you protect them in any way we can. That includes navigating emotionally-charged paternity battles or disputes.
We can help you:
- Establish or confirm paternity to support a request for child support benefits or secure parental rights, or
- Contest paternity if you do not believe you are a child’s biological parent.
Once paternity has been established, we can help you achieve your desired outcomes in related child custody and child support matters.
We’ve been advocates for families in Orlando, Florida for years. When you hire our law firm, you’ll benefit from decades of experience and Orlando divorce attorneys who have successfully negotiated and litigated hundreds of family law cases.
Give our Orlando law office a call to arrange a free case evaluation today.
How is Paternity Established in Florida?
There are a few mechanisms that can be used to establish paternity in Florida.
Marriage
Children born during a marriage will automatically be presumed to be the child of the two spouses.
Similarly, if parents of a child born out of wedlock get married, paternity will be presumed. However, for the father’s name to be added to the child’s birth certificate, documentation must be provided when the parents apply for their marriage certificate.
Voluntary Acknowledgement of Paternity
Parents can also complete an Acknowledgement of Paternity form and send it to the Office of Vital Statistics. This form can only be used if the mother was unwed at the time of the child’s birth, and both parents must agree that the man is the child’s biological parent.
After signing, both parents will have 60 days to change their minds and revoke their statement unless there has been a court proceeding regarding the matter.
DNA Tests
If paternity is disputed or one parent isn’t entirely certain, a DNA test can be used to confirm it. DNA tests are considered to be 99.99% accurate, so they are generally accepted by the courts as proof of paternity.
The mother, father, and child must submit samples to an independent third-party lab for testing. In family law cases, testing can be coordinated by the Florida Department of Revenue’s Child Support Program.
It typically takes two weeks for results, which are mailed to the child’s mother and suspected parent.
Results showing a match that’s 99% or higher indicates that a father is presumed to be the child’s biological father. Once there’s a DNA match, the test can be submitted to the court. A judge will enter a final order of paternity, and the child’s birth certificate will be updated to reflect the biological father’s name.
Why Would a Father Want to Contest Paternity in Florida?
In Florida, a reputed biological father might want to challenge paternity. This is known as disestablishment of paternity and is uncommon.
However, a father might want to contest paternity if:
- There’s new evidence to suggest that a child is not biologically his
- DNA testing proves that he is not the biological father
- Artificial insemination was used to conceive the child
In most situations, efforts to disestablish paternity have financial motives. For instance, a man may not want to pay (or continue to pay) child support for a child he learns is not his.
Requests for disestablishment of paternity are not considered lightly by the courts. There are strict requirements that must be met. And, if a father has represented himself as a child’s father and married the mother or signed a voluntary acknowledgment, a court may deny the petition even if it’s apparent that he isn’t the biological father. Child support obligations still have to be satisfied if a petition is denied.
Why Would a Mother Want to Establish Paternity?
It’s not just fathers who have an interest in establishing or contesting paternity. A mother might need to do so, too.
Common reasons include:
- Enforcing the terms of a child support agreement if a reputed father attempts to say he’s not the father, or
- Securing sole legal and physical custody of a child.
The motives for these can be financial or to ensure a child’s safety. For instance, in cases of domestic violence, a mother may want to prove that a man is not her child’s father to ensure that he is not awarded any custodial rights.
Schedule a Free Consultation With Our Orlando Paternity Lawyers
Whether you’re a mother trying to establish paternity or a father who wants to contest it, Conti Moore Law Divorce Lawyers, PLLC can help. Our Orlando paternity lawyers have over 50 years of experience helping families like yours.
We offer a free and confidential case review. Don’t hesitate to reach out to our law offices for guidance, legal advice, and support. Our law office can help you understand your legal rights and options and formulate a strategy to accomplish your goals.
Conti Moore Law Divorce Lawyers, PLLC
815 N Magnolia Ave Suite 100
Orlando, FL 32803
(407) 831-0203
Our family law firm in Orlando, FL also provides:
- Orlando Adultery Lawyer
- Collaborative Divorce Attorneys in Orlando, FL
- Father’s Rights Attorney in Orlando, FL
- Orlando Judgment Modification Lawyers
- Military Divorce Lawyer in Orlando, FL
- Relocation Attorneys in Orlando, FL
- Orlando Child Custody Lawyer
- Parental Alienation Attorney in Orlando, FL
- Postnuptial Agreements Lawyer in Orlando, FL
- Prenuptial Agreements Lawyer in Orlando, FL
- Property Division Lawyer in Orlando, FL
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