Your children are important to you, and you want to make sure you are involved in their lives, even if you are not living with them. Having a legal advocate protecting your rights is one of the benefits of a Stamford fathers’ rights lawyer. We can help you whether you are going through a divorce or have never lived with your children’s co-parent.
Let our experienced fathers’ rights attorneys inform you of your rights and help you with custody, child support, and other child-related issues.
Unmarried men may need to establish legal parentage before pursuing custody. When both parents sign an acknowledgment of parentage with Connecticut’s Bureau of Vital Statistics, each is recognized as a legal parent. If a mother refuses to sign the acknowledgment, or if she is married to another person at the time of birth, the unmarried father may need to prove paternity in court. A Stamford fathers’ rights attorney can provide guidance throughout the legal process of establishing paternity.
Once recognized as a legal parent, a father may pursue custody through the court. If he has not actively participated in raising the child, the court may deny custody even after a petition is filed. In such cases, the court may instead grant visitation to allow the father to build a relationship with the child.
As a legal parent, an unmarried father has an obligation to pay child support, even if the court does not grant custody or visitation rights.
Legal custody of a child grants a person the authority to make important decisions concerning the child’s religion, education, and healthcare. Connecticut General Statutes §46b-56a(b) presumes that joint legal custody serves a child’s best interest. Judges do not award custody based on a parent’s gender. Instead, they evaluate factors such as the parent-child relationship, the health of each parent, any history of family violence or abuse, the parents’ residences, and the specific needs of the children. The court’s primary focus remains on the best interests of the children.
One benefit of working with a father’s rights lawyer in Stamford is the lawyer’s experience with custody cases. The attorney understands court procedures, the creation of parenting plans, the process for seeking sole legal custody, and other aspects of pursuing custody in Connecticut.
State law requires both parents to contribute to child support, either by directly caring for the child or by providing financial support. Child support guidelines consider the number of children the parents share, other children each parent supports, and the parents’ combined weekly income. The court applies these guidelines to determine how much one parent must pay the other. Additional factors include childcare expenses, health insurance premiums for the children, and extraordinary medical or educational costs. Shared parenting time also influences the amount of support owed.
A Stamford fathers’ rights attorney could explain child support laws in detail and assist fathers in pursuing financial fairness through legal advocacy.
Whether you want to establish yourself as a legal parent, seek custody rights, or fight for a fair child support ruling, know the benefits of a Stamford fathers’ rights lawyer. Dolan Divorce Law represents fathers who wish to protect their paternal rights. We have the knowledge and experience you are looking for.
Contact us to schedule a consultation and learn more about your rights as a father.
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