Covid-19 Update:

The Law Office of Andrew A. Bestafka, Esq. is taking a safe but proactive approach to the Coronavirus situation in our law practice. We are working every day to represent our clients. We are offering frontline healthcare workers at CentraState free Simple Wills. To read more please Click Here

The days ahead may be a challenge. But we will continue to work to take care of our client’s cases and to take on new matters and clients. We will simply manage your case in less traditional, more technology-driven ways, that are safer for your health and ours.

Please stay healthy and contact us if you have any questions or concerns regarding your case or a new matter for us to consider.

Law Office of Andrew A. Bestafka, Esq. > Articles > Establishing Paternity

Establishing Paternity

The paternity of a child is an important issue that can have a dramatic effect on the emotional and physical development of the child, as well as becoming essential when support for the child is an issue that needs to be settled. Establishing paternity early and decisively has a variety of benefits, such as creating a clear family identity, sharing of parenting duties, access to accurate health history for the child, settling visitation issues, and laying the ground work for any necessary child support agreements.

In many situations, the status of a child’s paternity can become a contentious issue when the mother and alleged father have differing wishes regarding the child’s upbringing or the veracity of a paternity claim is brought into question. Settling the issue can be an essential step in moving forward with any other type of family issues, and great care should be taken to ensure that the correct ruling is reached.

Means of Establishing Paternity

There are various ways in which the paternity of child may be settled, and the following are three of the most common:

  • Acknowledgment of paternity, in which both parents voluntarily sign an acknowledgment of paternity form at the time of birth
  • Genetic testing, which will match the DNA of the father and child to definitively establish whether or not he is the father
  • Presumed paternity, in which some states assign legal paternity to a father so long as he was married to the mother when the child was conceived or born.

Clearly established paternity is one of the necessary first steps in settling any custody issue. Because paternity can often be such a complex issue, having a skilled attorney can help a couple more quickly get an answer.

For More Information

If you have questions regarding the legal status of child paternity and how the paternity of a child is established, call the experienced Monmouth paternity lawyers at Law Office of Andrew A. Bestafka, Esq. today at (732) 898-2378. Our team of attorneys will be able to answer any of your questions and represent you adeptly should you need legal support.