Fathers’ Rights Attorney In Lithonia, Georgia

Although Georgia law recognizes the equal rights and responsibilities of mothers and fathers, men continue to face challenges asserting their parental rights. Whether you are seeking to maintain the bonds with your children after a separation of divorce or with a child you have with a woman to whom you are not married, the best decision you can make is to consult an experienced family law attorney.

Our founder at E.N. Banks-Ware Law Firm, LLC, has extensive experience representing fathers in custody and legitimation proceedings in metro Atlanta and throughout the state of Georgia. We are well-versed in the applicable child custody and child support laws and will work to help you maintain an active role in your child’s life. When you become our client, we will take the time to understand your relationship with your child, explain all your rights, and guide you through the legal system.

What Are Fathers’ Rights?

In short, fathers have a right to be involved in their children’s life on a regular basis and in a meaningful way. As such, Georgia law recognizes fathers’ rights concerning child custody and parental responsibility. In a divorce, whether contested or uncontested, the parents must agree on a parenting plan that establishes custody and visitation rights.

If they cannot reach an agreement, the court will intervene to determine a parenting plan based on what it perceives to be the best interests of the child. Although Georgia law is designed to treat mothers and fathers equally, the courts often favor mothers in custody cases involving minor children since mothers are usually the primary caregivers.

This is why you need the father’s rights attorneys at E.N. Banks-Ware Law Firm, LLC, on your side. She will help you secure meaningful access to your child and also preserve your right to make key decisions concerning your child’s health, education and religious upbringing, which is referred to “legal custody.” While our attorney prefers to reach negotiated resolutions to child custody and visitation issues, she is equally capable of asserting your fathers’ rights in a court of law.

Legitimation

If you have a child with a woman you are not married to, establishing your fathers’ rights can be challenging. When a child is born to unmarried parents in Georgia, the biological father does not have child custody or visitation rights. There is a legal process known as legitimation, however, which gives a biological father the ability to establish a legal relationship with his child.

Under Georgia law, there are ways to legitimate a child, entering into an Acknowledgement of Legitimation with the child’s mother or filing a Petition for Legitimation with the court. Upon legitimation, the legal father will be responsible for the support of the child, and the court may also establish the father’s custody and visitation rights, provided that these rights are also asserted in the petition.

It is worth noting that the father of a child who has not been legitimated still has an obligation to provide for the child financially and can be forced to pay child support once the mother establishes paternity. For this reason, it is in your best interest to legitimate your child.