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CUSTODY/PATERNITY/ADOPTION

Determining where children will live, who will spend time with them on which days, and who will make important decisions on their behalf is one of the most challenging aspects of custody disputes. Even when a couple is never married, legal decisions must often be made in regard to child custody.

Our firm represents both fathers and mothers throughout Southeast Kansas and Northeast Oklahoma in child CUSTODY cases. Our experienced family law attorneys are diligent advocates for our client’s parental rights and their children’s best interests. You can count on us to provide the seasoned legal guidance necessary to guard your relationships with your children.

When PATERNITY is established, a child becomes eligible for certain benefits, such as child support and health insurance. The child’s father is also given certain legal rights and obligations. Sometimes these issues are raised at birth, while in other cases, they only arise during the child’s upbringing. There are a few different methods to establish paternity.

One method to establish paternity is through acknowledgment. This involves a mother and a father signing an Acknowledgment of Paternity Form. Often, this happens at the hospital at a child’s birth, but the form may also be completed through the office of vital records. After it is executed and filed, an acknowledgment may be difficult to revoke, although it is possible depending on the circumstances.

Another method of establishing paternity is through presumption. This method applies such that someone is presumed to be a child’s father when the mother and he are married, and the child is born during their marriage or within a certain number of days after a divorce. It is also presumed if someone marries the mother after the birth of the child and voluntarily claims paternity in a record in which he promised to support the child as his or if someone continuously lives with the child for the child’s first two years and represents to others that the child is his. The presumed father is recognized as the father unless the court orders otherwise, or he signs a denial of paternity, and the true genetic father and mother sign an acknowledgment of paternity.

Finally, the court may adjudicate paternity if the parties request the court to establish parentage. The purpose of the action is often to require genetic testing, such as when a mother claims someone is the father, and he is skeptical of this claim. A mother, father, or child may initiate the proceeding. The court may enter a default judgment if the father fails to appear. When a father appears and contests the order, he may request genetic testing. An order is entered based on DNA test results.

It is important to retain an experienced attorney to help determine paternity issues.

Our lawyers go through the ADOPTION process on a regular basis. If you have experienced this procedure before, you know the stress of gaining the right to take care of the child that you love. There are numerous reasons why families and parents decide to adopt a child. The adoption process is not as predictable as many people think. Individuals trying to adopt need to keep in mind that the individual circumstances of each case undergo a comprehensive evaluation. Thus, it’s extremely tough to anticipate what the outcome will be. Having thoughtful, experienced adoption attorneys on your side is extremely important.