Need a Boston Lawyer to Help With Paternity Matters?
Our law firm helps both men and women with paternity actions of any kind, including bringing a paternity lawsuit and defending against a paternity claim involving child custody or child support. At The Massachusetts Family Law Group, our experienced paternity lawyers are dedicated to protecting the rights of both married and unmarried parents, seeking justice for them and for their children. Whether you never married the other parent or were married for years, we can help you.
Massachusetts Paternity Law is Applied Locally, on a County-by-County Basis
Our attorneys appear almost daily in the Probate and Family Courts in Eastern Massachusetts and know the policies, procedures and preferences of individual judges and courts. The attorneys and specialists in this extensive network share their expertise and skills whenever needed to advance clients' causes. Each attorney is assigned to a specific courthouse and becomes a familiar face to the Family Services officers, judicial case workers and Judges.
Why Establish Paternity?
DNA testing, carried out with a simple cheek swab, can identify a child's father beyond a reasonable doubt. Mothers and fathers may need to confirm the paternity of a child for reasons such as these:
- Fathers may not be sure that they are actually parents and seek to confirm the basis for child support orders.
- Fathers may wish to identify themselves so they can obtain visitation rights and, in some cases, child custody.
- Mothers seek to establish paternity so they can receive child support from the father.
Once paternity is established, we can help draft parenting plans for fathers so they can petition for visitation or custody. We also help mothers seek child support. Our law firm helps clients accomplish these goals, whether the actions involve modifying an existing order or obtaining an initial order.
Paternity Is an Issue for Both Mothers and Fathers
The Commonwealth believes that children should be brought up by both parents and supports visitation for unmarried fathers and child support for unmarried mothers whenever possible. The state will often establish regular visitation over a mother's objections in order to promote the father-child relationship. When a mother seeks to relocate out of state with a child, an unmarried father may be able to contest the move and remain involved in his child's life — but only if paternity is formally established. Whatever your circumstances are related to paternity, our attorneys can provide you with counsel, representation and the home-court advantage that will help you achieve your goals.
Warning!
Even if you already have an informal agreement with your child's mother or father relating to custody, the parenting plan, and child support, it is important to formalize it by filing a joint stipulation and having it incorporated into a judicial order.
FREE, No-Obligation Consultation From a Massachusetts Paternity Law Firm
For more information about paternity or father's rights, call us at (800) 763-1030 or send an e-mail to schedule a free initial consultation with a Massachusetts child custody lawyer. We advocate for parents in Norfolk, Middlesex, Suffolk and Essex counties, including communities such as Newton, Salem and Gloucester. Many of our clients come to us after realizing that they were not receiving the care and advocacy they needed in issues related to paternity. They begin again with our law firm.
