A paternity attorney in Athens TN may represent a man who is almost certain he is not the father of a woman’s child and wants legal protection in case it turns out he is. There might be no relationship between this man and the child, who may already be a few years old or more. The woman may have been telling someone else he is the father only to change the story now. In contrast, she may never have claimed any man as the father, choosing to raise the child on her own until something changed.
The Mother’s Petition and the Father’s Response
Often, paternity comes up because the mother is planning to get married and the man wants to adopt the child. In order to do this, the biological father’s parental rights must be terminated. The natural father may hire a Paternity Attorney in Athens TN because he is willing to give up parental rights and wants to be sure the situation is handled correctly.
In contrast, the natural father may not want to terminate his rights. He may have been shocked to learn he has a child, and he wants the chance to build a relationship with this youngster. Attorneys with a firm like Chancey-Kanavos defend the individual against the petition to have his parental rights ended, explaining to the court why he has been absent from the child’s life all this time.
A Chance for a Relationship
The biological father typically is offered the chance to meet the child and begin building a relationship. He may be required to start paying child support, although back payments will not be expected since he never knew of the youngster. The natural father can also decide at any point to agree to the adoption and sign the papers relinquishing parental rights.
Involuntary Termination of Parental Rights
The mother may be presenting the matter as abandonment, in which case the father’s rights could be terminated involuntarily. Involuntary termination also may be ordered by a judge if the father has been known to exhibit problematic behavior. He may be serving a prison sentence for a violent felony, for instance. Visit the website to learn about one particular law firm representing paternity clients.
