Get Experienced Legal Help For Your Illinois Paternity Case
Questions about paternity can create a lot of strife, and paternity cases can involve some highly charged and emotional situations.
Whether you are an alleged father or a mother seeking to establish your child’s paternity beyond question, you need a seasoned, skilled lawyer by your side. At Frankfort Law Group, our attorneys have over 65 years of combined legal experience helping clients in Frankfort, Kankakee and throughout Will County. We can help you, too.
What Is Paternity? How Is It Established?
Paternity is the legal relationship between a father and child. A determination of paternity brings with it both rights and responsibilities, such as:
- Visitation and custody rights: Until paternity is established, the father has no formal standing to seek custody or visitation with their child.
- Inheritance rights: A determination of paternity gives the child important inheritance rights if the father should die, including the right to receive Social Security survivor’s benefits and other federal benefits under their father’s name.
- Child support: Every parent has a certain obligation to support their children financially, and a paternity determination can make it possible for the court to order support.
Paternity can be established in several different ways:
- If the parents are married or in a civil union at the time of a child’s birth (or within 300 days before the child’s birth), the mother’s spouse is simply presumed to be the child’s father. Presumptive paternity can be challenged through genetic testing (DNA).
- If the parents are unmarried but in agreement about paternity, both parents can sign a Voluntary Acknowledgement of Paternity (VAP) after the child’s birth.
- Paternity can be established through DNA testing and an order can be entered in family court or through the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS).
Take Action Today
We offer no-obligation consultations and quick responses to your concerns. Call Frankfort Law Group at 708-967-0819 or send an email to schedule. We understand that this is a difficult and delicate situation, and we will handle it with the tact and compassion it deserves.