St. Louis Paternity Attorney

St. Charles DNA Test Lawyer

Children of unmarried parents have a right to have both parents involved in their lives, just as the children of married parents do. There are legal steps both parents can take to ensure that these rights are fulfilled.

Missouri family lawyer JoAnn C. Donovan has been representing clients in paternity and related matters for more than 25 years. Contact us to schedule a free, completely confidential initial consultation. We help clients, both mothers and fathers, deal with all aspects of paternity cases.

Winning Visitation and Custody Rights

These days, it is common for the father of a child — when he is not married to the mother — to acknowledge paternity at the time of birth. Simply taking this action does not, however, automatically give the father custody and visitation rights.

When the father of a child has acknowledged paternity, he can seek child visitation and custody rights from the court. Only after a family court order has been issued can the father's visitation and/or custody rights be enforced.

If there is no father listed on the child's birth certificate, then the father must ask the court to determine paternity before establishing custody and visitation rights.

Obtaining Child Support

A child has a legal right to support from both parents, whether or not they were ever married. If your child is not currently receiving child support, you have a right to seek it.

If the paternity of your child is not acknowledged on the birth certificate, you will need to get a paternity judgment before you can use the state of Missouri's child support collection system.

Contact a St. Louis Paternity Lawyer Today

At JoAnn C. Donovan LLC Attorney at Law, we have represented many St. Louis County and St. Charles County clients in paternity and related cases. Contact us to get skilled legal help to protect your children and your relationship with them.