Child Legitimation in Greater Atlanta, GA
In cases in which a child is born out of wedlock, the state of Georgia does not automatically recognize the legal paternity of the father. At The Blackmon Law Firm, we are dedicated to aiding fathers in need of child legitimation in Greater Atlanta, GA. We aid fathers in securing their rights to visit and care for a child that they fathered out of wedlock, proudly serving clients in both Georgia and Louisiana.
There are two distinct levels of recognized relationship between a father and a child if there is no marriage. The first is “paternity,” which legally establishes a biological father. Paternity is a determination that may obligate the father to pay child support and provide medical insurance. The other form is called “legitimation”. If you want to obtain legal rights as a biological father in Georgia, you need to legitimize your child. The only ways to do that are to marry the mother of the child after the child's birth, adopt the child, getting a final paternity order, or by filing a Petition to Legitimate and obtaining a court order.
Fighting for the Rights of Fathers
Our father’s rights lawyer is devoted to getting the legal rights that biological fathers are entitled to under Georgia or Louisiana law. Recently, the Georgia Legitimation Law, effective July 1st, 2016, removed the Acknowledgement of Legitimation form that was available to parents in the hospital. It allowed for unwed parents to give their consent to legitimate in the hospital. The process is much more detailed an involved now. However, you can trust in our team to guide you through the legitimation process to secure your rights as a father.
Why Legitimate?
There are many important reasons to have the state legally recognize your child as your own. The majority deal with ensuring the well-being of the child throughout their lives and the level of access the father has to the child should parental separation occur.
Not only is the father recognized by the state and given rights to visitation, it also allows the child to inherit from the father and have access to the father’s medical history and allows the father to share in the legal decisions involving the welfare of the child. Furthermore, the father can pursue legal custody of the child and if the mother is not capable of caring for the child, father’s rights allow for the child to be put in the care of a relative of the father if neither the father or mother is able to care for the child. Let Nathaniel H. Blackmon III work hard to secure your legal recognition as the father of your child.
We are the office to call for issues involving paternity. We are proud to serve Greater Atlanta, GA, and are licensed to represent clients in both Georgia and Louisiana.