Examining Your Legal Rights As A Mother
As you may know, the court system has historically favored mothers when it comes to awarding custody. It wasn’t until the late 1960s that the modern fathers’ rights movement emerged in the United States, therefore prompting the courts to re-evaluate the obvious gender biases that so frequently influenced divorce. Now, the law mandates that child custody be determined on an even playing field — as long as both parents are fit to raise the child. This means that a judge will usually favor a joint custody arrangement in which the mother and father split their custodial responsibilities 50-50, or as close to it as possible. It is important to understand that these changes in the law will not always facilitate an equitable parenting plan, however, as you will still need to show the court that you are a good parent if you hope to win a contentious custody battle. For this reason, you should not hesitate to retain the help of a Salt Lake City divorce lawyer from the Law Office of David Pedrazas, PLLC.
Understanding Why It May Be Necessary To Establish Paternity
If you have given birth to a child out of wedlock, you may be interested in collecting child support from the father. While it is assumed that all husbands are the father of any children who their wives have given birth to, you would need to legally establish paternity if you hope to enforce the father’s financial responsibilities outside of the bounds of a marriage. In order to do so, you would need to file a petition with the court. This would require the father to submit a blood sample for testing, after which it would be determined whether or not he is, in fact, the biological father of your child. Once this has been proven, you would have legal standing to request child support. Apart from this, you can also request that he pay for medical and health insurance on behalf of the child. For this reason, it may be in your best interests to establish paternity with the help of our firm.
Contact A Salt Lake City Divorce Attorney Today
If you have made the decision to file for divorce or you are interested in establishing paternity for the purpose of claiming child support, you should not hesitate to discuss your case with a Salt Lake City divorce attorney at the Law Office of David Pedrazas, PLLC. Not only can our firm offer more than 20 years of experience, but we will even evaluate your case for free when you submit a form online. For this reason, we encourage you to take the first step today. Just give us a call at 801-263-7078 to learn more.