Pittsburgh Paternity Lawyer

Establishing Paternity in PA

Paternity is generally established with DNA testing. If the parenthood of a child is uncertain, it is generally best to confirm or deny it through DNA testing. Once paternity has been confirmed, a child support order can be entered into the family court.

If a man acknowledges a child as his own by his actions, such as supporting the mother through pregnancy and/or accepting the child into his home after he/she is born, he may be obligated to provide child support for that child whether it is his or not. It may be difficult, later, to challenge the paternity of the child although, in some cases, the father may request to be DNA tested to do so.

Paternity & Child Support

Paternity generally becomes an issue in the matter of child support and child custody in Pennsylvania family law courts. In Pennsylvania, when an unmarried woman gives birth to a child, there is no automatic legal relationship or obligation between the father and the child. Paternity must be established either by both parents signing an Acknowledgement of Paternity document or through the courts. Once paternity is established, the father is obligated to provide financial assistance for the child until the child reaches the age of 18 or graduates from high school.

Contact Our Family Law Firm in Pittsburgh

If you or someone you know needs legal assistance with a paternity case in Allegheny County, please contact the Pittsburgh divorce lawyer at our firm as soon as possible. Because we focus exclusively on family law issues and have done so since 1996, our family attorney is well-versed and extremely competent in all aspects of paternity and parental rights cases.