If you got a child with a woman, you are not married to, your legal position as the biological father is not automatic. However, the law provides these fathers with options that they can choose depending on the uniqueness of their situation. If you are unsure about the most appropriate route to establish paternity, get…
There are two basic ways that you can establish paternity in the state of Washington. Parents of a child who are unmarried can sign an Affidavit of Paternity, which is a document that legally establishes paternity for the child under Washington law. The Affidavit is sent to the Washington State Department of Health, which then adds the…
Genetic testing occurs in the context of a parentage or paternity action, which is a formal legal proceeding in which a male can establish legal rights to a child as his or her biological father. Either the mother of the child or the alleged father begins a parentage action by filing a petition to establish…
There are two main ways under Washington law to legally establish paternity for a child who is born outside of a marriage. A father can sign a paternity acknowledgment form, which establishes him as the child’s legal father. Alternatively, a court can issue an order that establishes a man as the legal father of the…
Having a child outside of marriage is no longer as taboo as in decades previous. Many people have children together who are committed to each other but have no desire to get married, or plan to marry after the birth of the child. In other cases, the couple may have broken up prior to the…