One of the most exciting times in a mother’s life is the moment she finds out she is going to be a mom. The most difficult moment a mother can face is having to establish paternity. At Florida Women’s Law Group, we have seen a wide variety of these cases, ranging from those wishing to prove paternity to those wishing to refute it.

In Florida, without establishing paternity, an unmarried father has no legal custody of the children. The mother has sole legal and physical custody of the children. This also means that the mother is not entitled to child support.

In order to obtain a time sharing plan that includes joint custody, paternity must be established. As a reminder, joint physical custody is when the children live with both parents at an equal amount of time. Joint legal custody is when both parents participate in the decision making regarding the children.

These cases are incredibly delicate and emotional. Our dedicated team of paternity attorneys provide compassionate legal service during your time of need.

Paternity can be established a few ways and vary based upon marriage status and the age of the children. These include:

• Blood DNA test
• Both parents sign the birth certificate at the time of birth
• Both parents sign a paternity acknowledgement form
• Both parents sign an affirmation of common children

Our experienced attorneys are here for you now, throughout the process and once paternity has been established. We have the experience, resources, and skills required to provide you with empathetic and compassionate legal service.