Proof Of Paternity Benefits You And Your Child

Michigan law assumes that, when married, a woman’s husband is her child’s father. This is a useful assumption in many cases, but does not help a child if their parents were never married or if there was marital infidelity. As a result, there are many cases where a child is not getting financial support that they need, fathers are denied access to their child or spouses are supporting children who are not theirs. Moreover, paternity issues are emotional and high-stakes, often with complicating factors. At The Law Firm of Hauer & Snover, we help people with complex and contentious paternity issues.

Proving Paternity In Michigan

Proving paternity can be complicated and is an important, though not always sufficient step in child support and custody disputes. Although paternity can be determined easily — usually by a simple DNA test from a cheek swab — biological paternity does not guarantee access to a child. Parental rights can be established only by a court order. In addition, there are some complex exceptions to paternity presumptions that our team can help you through.

If the mother was unmarried at the time of conception or birth, she and the father can establish paternity by voluntarily signing an Affidavit of Parentage and filing it with the appropriate state office. However, this still does not guarantee the father the right to custody or visitation or the mother the right to child support. Child support, custody and visitation must be ordered by the court for them to be enforceable.

Sort Out Your Paternity, Custody And Child Support Issues Today

No matter what your concern is regarding paternity in Michigan, we can protect your rights. Schedule a consultation with our team by calling our Bloomfield Hills office at 248-258-0800. You may also contact us online. We represent clients in Oakland County and throughout Michigan.