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Establishing Paternity in North Carolina

In North Carolina, unmarried fathers have an obligation to support their children. Fathers also have the right to be involved in their child’s life, whether they are living with the mother or not.

At Kennedy Law Associates in Charlotte, North Carolina, our lawyers represent mothers and fathers in paternity actions and related actions for child support, child custody and visitation.

In North Carolina, the first step unmarried parents need to take to obtain child support or visitation is to establish paternity. If the parents do not agree who the father is, paternity is established by way of a DNA test.

A paternity action can also be used to disestablish paternity if you are not the child’s father and do not want to pay support.

How Is Child Support Determined for Unmarried Parents?

Once paternity is established, child support payments are determined the same way for unmarried parents as for married parents who are divorcing. The court may order retroactive payments if the father has not been paying support.

How Is Visitation Determined for Unmarried Fathers?

Once paternity is established, parenting time is determined the same way for unmarried parents as it is for married fathers who divorce. Our lawyers often represent fathers in situations where the mother has cut off his contact with their children following the breakup of a relationship.

For More Information About Paternity, Contact Our Attorneys Serving Matthews, Monroe and Pineville

For more information, or to schedule a consultation with our Charlotte paternity attorneys, call 704-512-0619 or complete our contact form.