If you’ve recently found out that an old girlfriend or someone you only went on a few dates with had a child and thinks you’re the father, you may not know what to think. This will likely come as a shock to you, but it’s important that you handle everything correctly. If they want to have you ordered to pay child support through the courts, you’re going to want to hire a paternity attorney in Shawnee, KS as soon as possible.
A paternity attorney will help you establish whether or not the baby is indeed yours. This is extremely important if the mother is attempting to have you pay child support, because if the child is yours you do have rights to be able to visit your child or have partial custody. You also have choices about how much interaction you have with the child and his or her mother. There’s a lot to think about, but the first thing is to find out if the child is yours. If the child is not yours, you can relax and hope the mother does know who the other possibility for a father is.
Your paternity attorney in Shawnee, KS will first have you and the child’s DNA tested to see if you are a match. If you are, your attorney is well versed in family law, and so they can let you know what all of your options are. Your attorney will also provide you with guidance on what to do and what not to do throughout the child support case, and the child custody case if their is one. Your actions can have a large impact on the case, so it’s important you work closely with your lawyer. They will work hard to make sure any custody and support arrangements are fair, and they may be able to settle the case out of court and avoid you having to go to trial.
No matter what the situation is, if you’ve found out that you may be a father, you’re going to want to hire a paternity attorney to find out what your next steps are. They can be of a much larger assistance than just finding out whether or not you’re the father. If you’re in need of an attorney, one place you may want to start your search.
