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AS A FATHER, JUST BEING ON THE BIRTH CERTIFICATE IS NOT ENOUGH TO ESTABLISH YOUR RIGHTS OVER YOUR CHILD(REN)
Fathers' rights are a sensitive and often heated topic where many fathers feel like they are at a disadvantage when it comes to gaining custody of their children. In the state of Arizona, fathers do not automatically have custody rights. Thus, it is crucial to know what your rights are as a father and what you can expect if you find yourself in a legal battle regarding fathers' rights.
According to Nancy Uko, the owner of ReGain Law Firm, the most important thing to know about father's rights in Arizona, is that just being on the birth certificate is not enough to establish your rights over your child. In fact, if you are not, or have never been, married to the mother of your child, then you must file a petition with the Court to establish your paternity of your child. Although being on the birth certificate is a presumption of that paternity, it does not automatically award you any rights over the child in the eyes of the law.
Once you successfully establish your paternity with the Court, you will then have a legal right to exercise parenting time with the child, as well as making important life changing decisions on behalf of the child, such as what education your child receives, what doctor they are treated by, what religion they practice, and even what state they reside in. Unfortunately, many fathers avoid filing a petition with the Court out of fear that they will be subject to child support. However, it is important to understand that child support obligations are generally ordered in lieu of parenting time. So, if you are actively exercising substantial parenting time with your child, your child support obligation should be little to none.
If you are a father who would like to establish your paternity and make sure that your legal rights to your child(ren) are protected, call (833) 3RE-GAIN or visit www.ReGainLaw.com to schedule a consultation with an attorney today.
