PATERNITY

It has become increasingly popular for couples to have children without being married.  Usually such couples encounter few problems as long as they are still together in a relationship.  However, once the relationship is ended, the father often finds himself on the outside looking in.  Without a proper finding by the court that the man is the father of the child, he may have no legal rights to the child, and the mother may not force him to pay child support. 

Unmarried parents establish their rights and obligations regarding their minor children by filing a petition to determine paternity.  Paternity cases are usually initiated by a father wishing to establish his rights to spend time with the child and to participate in major decisions affecting the child's welfare, or by the mother who is seeking to require the father to pay child support.  Regardless of who files a petition, there are many important factors to consider in such cases.

To learn more, please call us for an appointment to discuss your particular situation.  Our phone number is 305-510-7643.

PUTATIVE FATHER REGISTRY

Sections 63.053 and 63.054, Florida Statutes, provide an unmarried biological father the opportunity to assert his claim of paternity by filing the appropriate paperwork with the Florida Putative Father Registry and preserve his rights as a parent.  In the event that a mother wants to put the child up for adoption, or if the State seeks to terminate parental rights, they must request a search of the Florida Putative Father Registry and notify the father if he is registered.   For more information, contact the State of Florida Department of Health or go to:

http://www.doh.state.fl.us/planning_eval/vital_statistics/putative.htm