Legitimation/Paternity

When a child is born out of wedlock, the mother has sole physical and legal custody by operation of law. If a putative father desires an alternative arrangement, he must legitimize the child. Only the father may file a petition for legitimation. Besides requesting a court ordered determination of parentage, during this process, the father may seek to change the child's last name, and to establish custody or visitation rights. The mother will be served with process of the petition and she will have an opportunity for her objections, if any, to be heard. For the mother, if she was never married to the father, she may either sign a legal document called a Voluntary Acknowledgment of Paternity or file an action to establish paternity. Once the father is legally established, either through legitimation or an action to establish paternity, child support may then be determined.

With offices in Northern Georgia, the Siemon Law Firm offers legal help to residents of Fulton and Forsyth County including Cumming, Alpharetta, North Atlanta, Gainesville, Roswell and Duluth, GA.  Additionally, the firm offers representation in Florida courts.