What Does Paternity Mean?

Establishing paternity gives you legal rights.

Paternity is the legal identification of a child’s father. If a child have a legally recognized father, then this father has “paternity” over the child.

Voluntary Assumed Paternity

The term voluntary assumed paternity means exactly what it sounds like: the paternity is assumed in a number of circumstances. Paternity is not determined exclusively by a birth certificate or blood test, paternity can also be established by:

• Child born to a married couple.
• Child born to unmarried couple, but the parents legally marry after the child is born.
• Child born to unmarried couple who sign a acknowledge of paternity drafted by a child custody lawyer.
• Father attempts to marry the mother when the child was born.
• Father marries mother after birth of child and agree to put his name on the birth certificate.
• Father welcomes child into their home, supports child, and treats child as their own.
• Father and child hold a close parental relationship the courts deem deserving of parental rights.

Involuntary Paternity

Ones paternity can also be established when a paternity lawsuit is brought against the probably father. The father must appear in court and submit to a DNA test. These DNA blood tests at 99% accurate and if paternity is established, the father will be required to pay child support and the father will have established paternity.

Legal Significance of Establishing Paternity

The significance of establishing paternity is that the father now has rights to visitation in Maryland. This means that, excluding a few circumstances, the father can be granted access to his child through visitation in some format. The establishment of paternity also means child support payments must be made in accordance with the court’s ruling.

Our Commitment to Your Case

Here at Alan L. Billian, P.A. we’re committed to getting you the best possible outcome for your Maryland paternity case. So whether you’re seeking a paternity test for yourself or for the father of your child, Alan L. Billian, P.A. is here to help you every step of the way.

Call us or request a consultation to get your Maryland child support questions answered.