In Need Of a Father’s Rights Attorney?
In the State of South Carolina, mothers are given sole custody of a child when the baby is born out of wedlock.
The child’s father must take deliberate steps to prove that he is the father.
Otherwise, he has no legal rights to that child.
The first step starts with establishing paternity.
Like our South Carolina family courts, our father’s rights lawyers in South Carolina at the David W. Martin Law Group believe children live much fuller lives when both parents are involved in their upbringing. We also believe that dads provide stability and strength to their child’s every day lives, which is invaluable to their success.
If you have a child and would like to pursue your father’s rights in South Carolina, we can help, beginning with a consultation.
What Rights Do Unmarried Fathers Have in South Carolina?
At the David W. Martin Law Group, our Greenville father’s rights lawyers provide our clients who have fathered children out of wedlock with straightforward answers when they are seeking solutions for becoming a stable part of their children’s lives.
The reality is, unless the child’s father takes the necessary steps to prove and demonstrate that he is the father, he has no legal rights to that child.
That means you do not have access to South Carolina child custody or visitation, nor do any other family members, like grandparents, have any legal authority or influence in the child’s life.
The first step to pursuing your father’s rights in South Carolina begins with establishing paternity.
How Can I Establish Paternity in South Carolina?
When some parents choose not to wed, they pursue a Paternity Acknowledgement that allows unmarried, soon-to-be fathers to sign the document under oath and assume all legal obligations to support and care for the child.
This document should be signed only by those who are positive they are the father of the child, as it becomes legally binding going forward.
The other option that does not require the court’s involvement is signing the baby’s birth certificate after he or she is born.
It is not uncommon for unwed dads to miss both these opportunities, especially if they are not in a committed relationship with the mother.
If this is true for you, the only other way to established paternity is to take an official DNA test to provide a definitive answer to ensure you are the father. After we establish paternity, our father’s rights attorneys in Fort Mill, SC at the David W. Martin Law Group will pursue your parental rights and ensure they are protected going forward.
Why Should I Establish Paternity in South Carolina?
When the biological father completes the defined process to establish legal paternity, we can begin custody and visitation proceedings while establishing child support and other necessary provisions necessary for the child to live their best life with both parents’ involvement.
In most cases, a father’s involvement will provide the child(ren) with:
- Increased self-esteem
- Added personal security
- A family identity
- Extended family relationships with aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents
- Shared parenting resources and increased daily involvement
- Family medical health history
- Expanded financial and social benefits, including health insurance, Social Security, inheritance, or other benefits
There is a tremendous upside to fathers pursuing their parental rights in South Carolina, and our experienced family law lawyers in Fort Mill, SC will outline the benefits and the solutions necessary to pursue them, so our clients can become the dads they have always wanted to be.
What if the Mother Does Not Want Me to Be a Part of Our Child’s Life in Fort Mill, SC?
When children are born, most biological fathers can form a personal relationship without legal intervention.
However, some cases require experienced father’s rights lawyers in Fort Mill, SC to intervene, so dads can contribute to their child’s lives even when the mother is resistant to their involvement.
Mothers may not keep fathers from participating in their child’s lives without cause or evidence that they are unfit to participate in their child’s life once paternity is established.
It is important to partner with an experienced father’s rights attorney in Fort Mill, SC, so the mother takes your involvement seriously and cannot simply wave off the idea of you pursuing the rights you are entitled to. We can help her understand the laws and rights related to your case, so you can move forward with becoming a part of your kid’s life without further delay.
Our Family Law Lawyers in South Carolina Represent Clients in the Following Practice Areas:
- Divorce
- Mediation
- Property Division
- Alimony / Spousal Support
- Child Custody
- Child Support
- Legal Separation
- Emergency Custody Actions
- Child Relocation
- Grandparents Rights
I Have Established a Paternity in South Carolina. What’s Next?
Once we have established that you are the father of the child(ren) in question, we will pursue the next steps to becoming a part of his or her life, including pursuing child custody, visitation, and shared parenting plans.
Even if your intention is not to take the child away from the mother, the court must become involved in determining legal child custody and visitation options, so you can begin spending time with your child on a regularly scheduled basis.
The court will review your case by examining the best interests of the child to determine how shared parenting will work, and we can help build your case to seek the best outcome.
The court will also review your finances to pursue a monthly child support amount, which will be based on the amount of time you get to spend with him or her, and their overall financial needs.
If your goal is to pursue custody, and you are awarded physical custody of the child, you may not have to pay child support. If you have visitation rights only, you may have to pay child support either directly to the mother or through the Department of Social Services.
We will finalize each detail of your father’s rights case, so there is no confusion about your involvement in the child’s life going forward.
Contact Our Experienced Father’s Rights Attorneys in South Carolina for a Consultation Today
If your father’s rights are being violated, or if you are unsure how to pursue them to the full extent outlined by our laws, contact our experienced family law lawyers in Fort Mill, South Carolina at the David W. Martin Law Group today by calling (803) 548-2468 today to schedule a consultation to discuss your case.
