You’ve been offering constant care: Changing diapers, financial
assistance and being an all-around good dad. However, in Georgia, there’s one
key caveat every biological father should know. Unless you’re married to the
mother of your child, you’re not recognized in the eyes of the law as a dad. Legitimation
is an essential legal process every father a child born out of wedlock should
go through to make sure their rights are covered later on down the line.
According to family law attorney Melissa Potter Sanford, legitimation offers a
father the rightful title of “dad.” Below, you’ll find many commonly-asked
questions regarding your rights, the process and why you must go through with
it.
1) Later in
life: A birth certificate is a legal document and the information it
contains – or omits, in this case – will make things easier for the both of you
later in life. By requesting the assistance of Georgia lawyer Melissa P Sanford
to help you with the Petition of Legitimation process, the father will be able
to list his name on his child’s birth certificate. This also means that they’d
be granted custody and visitation rights should the couple split up.
2) What is
and what isn’t: According to family law expert Melissa
Potter Sanford, there are a few things that don’t constitute legitimation and
won’t legally make you a father. They include using a paternity test as proof,
paying child support, enrolling the child in school or naming the child in your
will. If the court agrees that legitimation will benefit the child, then the
process will go through.
3) What not
to do: If the mother and father have gone separate ways at any point
after birth, the legitimation process gets a little more complicated. According
to Melissa P Sanford, fathers who’ve shown little effort in improving the child’s
life, whether by being present or offering financial assistance, will face an
uphill battle in the legal process. It’s on these grounds that a mother can
voice her side of the story in court, thus
giving a judge insight as to why the process shouldn’t proceed.
