Western Wisconsin Paternity Lawyers

Western Wisconsin Paternity Lawyers

When a child is born to a married couple, paternity is presumed in the State of Wisconsin. When a child is born to an unwed mother, however, paternity is not automatically established, which can be a disadvantage to the child, mother, and father. Establishing paternity in a child’s life can play a critical role for all three parties, and an experienced western Wisconsin paternity lawyer can help you with this important legal process. 

Why Establishing Paternity Is Important

Establishing a child’s paternity is important for significant legal and emotional reasons that can affect the lives of the mother, father, and child involved, including (as applicable):

• Establishing paternity ensures that the father’s legal rights to custody or visitation are upheld. 
• Establishing paternity ensures that the child can obtain medical and genetic information from both sides in the event of a health concern.
• Establishing paternity allows the child to obtain health insurance through the father’s employment-based coverage (if this is a better option than the mother’s or if this is the only insurance available). 
• Establishing paternity ensures that the child has the legal right to inherit from his or her father.
• Establishing paternity allows the child to become the recipient of any military-based benefits that flow from the father’s service. 
• Establishing paternity allows the mother to receive child support on behalf of the child’s ongoing support. 
• Establishing paternity allows the child and the father to form a parent/child bond that enriches both of their lives. 

Establishing Paternity in Wisconsin

There are three means by which paternity can be established in Wisconsin (outside of being married when the child is born), including:

• Voluntary Paternity Acknowledgement – Paternity can be established via a Voluntary Paternity Acknowledgement document, which both parents must sign after the child is born. 

• Court Ruling – If the mother names a father, but the father disagrees with her assessment, the matter can be taken before the court, where the evidence will be reviewed, and a ruling on the child’s paternity will be made. Either party can request genetic testing to prove or disprove paternity. Conversely, the father can take the matter to court in an attempt to prove his own paternity. Once paternity is identified, the father’s parental rights will be explained to him.
• Legitimation or Acknowledgement of Marital Child – If the mother and father marry after a child’s birth, they can file a signed Legitimation or Acknowledgement of Marital Child form with the Wisconsin Office of Vital Records, which will ensure that the father’s name is on the birth certificate and this his paternity is established. 

Reach out to an Experienced Western Wisconsin Paternity Lawyer Today

Establishing paternity can be an important step for the father, child, and mother alike. If you have a paternity concern, the dedicated western Wisconsin paternity lawyers at Atticus Family Law have ample experience helping clients like you successfully establish paternity and address other important paternity matters. We’re here to help, so please don’t hesitate to contact us for more information today.