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Murfreesboro Paternity Attorneys Provide Comprehensive Paternity Counsel with Discretion and Compassion

Whether seeking to prove or refute paternity, our more than five decades of experience successfully resolving conflicts is your best resource

Issues of paternity impact nearly every aspect of family law, including child custody, visitation and child support. Legal fathers have significant responsibilities and failure to comply with court orders can lead to significant consequences. Whether you are seeking to prove that you are a biological father or need to fight against false allegations of paternity, the attorneys at the law firm of Pate & Knott Attorneys at Law have the negotiation and litigation experience you need to achieve a favorable resolution to your case.

What does a presumption of parentage mean for you and your case?

What does a presumption of parentage mean for you and your case?

  • He was married to the child's mother at the time of the child's birth or within 300 days of the termination of the marriage through divorce, death or annulment
  • The man and mother attempted to marry prior to the child's birth, but the attempted marriage is or could be illegal, void or voidable and
  • The man has acknowledged paternity and filed the appropriate paperwork with the putative father registry or
  • He consented in writing to be the father named on the birth certificate or
  • He is obligated by court order or a voluntary written promise to support the child
  • He openly holds the child out to be his own and takes the child into his home
  • DNA testing proves with a probability of at least 95% that he is the biological father

In many cases, the mother may be married to a man other than the biological father at the time of the child's birth. Biological fathers have no rights until paternity is established. In Tennessee, paternity cases are subject to a statute of limitations and actions to establish paternity must be brought before the child reaches the age of 21.

Establishing legal paternity is vital to protecting your rights and safeguarding against unforeseen consequences

It is very common for couples to have children outside of marriage. Often, the mother and father do not realize the steps that must be taken to establish parentage. If the mother marries a different man that wishes to adopt the child as his own, the biological father must take the necessary legal steps to establish paternity and prevent his parental rights from being terminated.  

Our attorneys have also dealt with cases involving false accusations of paternity. If you're married to a woman who conceives a child with another man, you are presumed to be the legal father of that child and are required to support that child unless you prove through genetic testing that you are not the biological father.

Obligation to pay child support

A biological parent has the obligation to support the child, even in a situation wherein the biological parent has not been active in the child's life.  The Tennessee legislature recently changed the law effective July, 2017, and child support arrearage can be set for a period of five years from the date an action for support is filed and for a long period for "good cause" shown.  So, do not take the risk that you will be ordered to pay extensive retroactive child support, and determine and establish your parental rights by calling our office.

Turn to a tenacious and well-respected Murfreesboro paternity lawyer for answers to all your paternity questions

Paternity cases must be handled in a timely manner. At the law firm of Pate & Knott Attorneys at Law, we aggressively advocate your interests with a variety of innovative legal strategies. Call us today at 615-848-1221 or contact us online to schedule an initial consultation. Evening and Saturday appointments are available to suit your schedule.

Free Consultation

The Firm of Pate and Knott charges no fee for the initial consultation regarding personal injury cases, including automobile/truck/motorcycle accidents, slip and fall accidents or any other type of accident caused by a third party. Call us at (615) 848-1221 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation at our Murfreesboro office. Evening and Saturday appointments available.

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