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subject: Establishing Paternity with a Denver Paternity Lawyer [print this page]


The establishment of paternity is vitally important when it comes to issues like insurance, child support, the claiming of assets, etc. At any point, a child, mother, or father can ask for a determination about one of the child's parents. If so, then a lawsuit can be brought to court. If so, a Denver paternity lawyer will be essential in hearing the case. Very frequently it is the mother of a child who seeks to establish paternity of the father so that she can receive financial support; however, there are a number of reasons one might seek to establish paternity.

Assuming a mother seeks to claim a man as the father of her child, the man is called the putative father. The putative father can either consent to being the child's father and accept the responsibilities that come with it, or he can contest the claim. If the putative father consents, this establishes paternity for the child forever. In other words, even if it is later found that he is not the true father, he is still legally bound to the child. If a putative father is not certain about his paternity to the child, he should consult a Denver paternity lawyer for guidance before deciding to consent.

If the putative father contests the claim of paternity, a DNA test is usually executed to determine the likelihood he is the father. A DNA test cannot prove paternity, but the test is the most powerful estimate available and is usually within 95-99 percent accurate. If the test shows that the putative father is likely to be the biological father, the burden is on the putative father to disprove the presumption, which is extremely difficult. There is little even a Denver paternity lawyer can do against a positive DNA test.

Besides emotional and psychological reasons, there are other benefits to establishing paternity for a child. First of all, the child is then able to qualify for inheritance, as well as social security benefits, and life and medical insurance. Knowing who the child's father is can also greatly benefit healthcare practitioners because family history can be so vital in determining one's risk for serious illnesses.

It is also possible to establish paternity postmortem. A DNA test can still be conducted on the putative father and matched against the mother and child. If there is a match, the child can still qualify for inheritance and other benefits from the father. A Denver paternity lawyer can also assist in inheritance and insurance matters.

There is such a thing called paternity fraud in which a mother attempts to coax a putative father into consenting to paternity without revealing that there are other putative fathers. This is another reason why it important to hire an experienced Denver paternity lawyer. A putative father must be served paternity papers before consenting to a DNA test. This is another matter to bring up with a Denver paternity lawyer.

Establishing Paternity with a Denver Paternity Lawyer

By: familylaw




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