Paternity: an important piece to any New Jersey custody case

If you are currently embroiled in a heated child custody dispute or believe that you could be because of an upcoming divorce, then you’ll want to keep reading today’s blog post. That’s because today, we’d like to discuss an important topic that can help immensely when it comes to child custody decisions.

Here in New Jersey, as is the case in other states, there are a number of factors the courts take into consideration when making a custody decision. Aside from what is in the best interest of the child, which is oftentimes considered the most important factor in any custody case, the next most important factor is paternity.

Did you know that there are a number of ways in which paternity can be established here in our state? For starters, did you know that if a couple is married when a child is born, the husband immediately becomes the child’s legal father even if he is not biologically related? Did you also know that if a couple isn’t married when the child is born, a signed acknowledgement of paternity or a paternity test is needed before parental rights can be granted to the father?

As you can imagine, our laws can create legal problems. But when couples do not establish paternity properly or at all, things can get even more complicated. That’s because it can create a challenge for the courts, especially when trying to determine who should be ordered to pay child support and/or who to award parental rights to.

Because your parental rights could be at stake in your child custody dispute, you will want to speak to a skilled lawyer who has experience dealing with child custody cases and knows how the law will apply to your specific situation. With the attorneys of The Montanari Law Group, you know you will be getting this experience as well as the compassion you need to get through your dispute with confidence.