Long Island Paternity Lawyer

Paternity is an issue that may arise in different areas of family law. Most often applicable to matters involving child custody, visitation, and child support, establishing or disestablishing paternity will be an important part of determining a father’s rights and responsibilities for a child or children. Our legal team has extensive experience in family law and paternity matters in particular, and we are here to help you with your case. Contact a knowledgeable and dedicated Long Island family lawyer from the Law Offices of Jay D. Raxenberg P.C. for assistance with any paternity matter you’re facing.

Why Establish Paternity?

If you are a father, you may wish to establish paternity in order to gain custody of your child or seek visitation rights. As a mother, you may wish to establish paternity so you can seek child support that will help provide for your child. Or, you may wish to disestablish paternity to avoid responsibility for a child that is not yours, or to keep someone from gaining custody of your child who is not the true father. Whatever specific paternity matter you are attempting to resolve, we are here to offer you the information and guidance you need to make the right choices about your case.

Establishing Paternity in New York State

Establishing paternity in New York can be accomplished in one of three ways. They are as follows:

• Paternity can be established through the issuance of a court order in which the parties typically submit to DNA testing in order to establish the paternity of the child in question.
• Unwed parents may sign an Acknowledgement of Paternity which identifies the man as the biological father of the child. Once the Acknowledgement of Paternity document is signed, the biological father’s name will be listed on the child’s birth certificate which will afford the father parental rights and responsibilities.
• There is a legal presumption that a husband who conceives a child during his marriage is the biological father of that child which he may challenge in a Family Court proceeding.

Contact a Nassau County Paternity Lawyer Today

Resolving a paternity matter may be simple due to the fact that DNA testing can easily prove the biological father, but there are legal matters to address as well. The process of attempting to establish paternity or disprove paternity can be difficult, and it is therefore important to have a competent paternity lawyer at your side. Fortunately, if you’re reading this, you’ve come to the right place. Contact the Law Offices of Jay D. Raxenberg P.C. for a free initial consultation today.