Tampa Father's Rights Attorney

Protecting Father’s Rights in Florida

Florida state laws provide for father's rights. As a father, you do have legal rights to be a part of your children’s lives, and you are protected by the Florida state legislature. As the legal and competent parent of a child, you definitely have the right to seek custody and visitation. Florida state courts do not show preference to either the mother or the father when determining custody, support or visitation issues. The courts’ only concern is the well-being, safety and security of the children involved in the case.

If you feel that your rights as a father are being challenged or ignored, you must speak with a qualified family law attorney immediately. It is very important that you do not allow these infringements upon your legal rights to continue any longer than they already have. We will support you through your entire case. Sometimes when a father is denied custody or visitation, the other side’s argument can be brought to the courts that he is not the father of the children in question. We at Givens Law Group have dealt with countless cases where a father’s paternity has been challenged. We know exactly what steps to take to help you recover the ability to see your children and be a part of their lives.

Call (813) 328-6159 or contact us online to let our firm in Tampa protect your parental rights.

How Can Unmarried Fathers Assert Their Rights in Florida?

In Florida, unmarried fathers are required to establish paternity to exercise their parental rights. Aside from being married, a father can sign a “Voluntary Acknowledgement of Paternity” form with the other parent and file it with the court to establish paternity of a child born out of wedlock.

If a child’s mother does not agree with paternity, the biological father can file a petition with the court. The father will be ordered to take a DNA test to establish paternity.

The following are the benefits of establishing paternity:

• Establish rights and responsibilities for the child
• Obtain custody and visitation rights
• Ensure the child is entitled to child support, health insurance coverage, social security benefits, inheritance rights, and other forms of financial support
• Obtain access to any information about the child
• Ability to build a loving and healthy relationship with the child

Once a father establishes paternity, he must petition “shared parental responsibility" and “timesharing” in order to gain parental rights and time with his child. When it comes to shared parental responsibility, each parent has an equal say on important parenting decisions regarding the child – no matter who the child lives with. Timesharing determines how much time each parent spends with the child based on a court-ordered schedule.

Make Sure Your Parental Rights are Upheld!

Givens Law Group has highly qualified and experienced family law attorneys who can help you through this difficult time. We will take your case from the initial consultation all the way through to trial, when trial is necessary.

Our personal philosophy is to be part of the solution, not part of the problem. That means that we will strive to come to an amicable agreement with the other side without having to get into lengthy litigation situations. When it is not possible reach an accord, however, we have the skill and experience to aggressively fight for your rights in a Florida courtroom. Our legal team will stand by you throughout the process and we will work with you to help enhance your chances of success no matter what your legal issue is.

Contact our Tampa fathers’ rights attorney at (813) 328-6159 today to discuss your legal issue.