Little Rock, AR Father’s Rights Lawyers

Paternity lawyers providing counsel and representation throughout the Little Rock area.

Phone: (501) 372-1200
Office Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30AM - 4:30PM
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Office Hours: Monday – Friday 8:30AM – 4:30PM

Legal issues related to paternity can be highly contentious and have a substantial impact on the lives of everyone involved. The procedural and substantive law regarding paternity in Arkansas is complicated, making the assistance of an experienced paternity lawyer invaluable. The father’s rights attorneys at Destiny Law represent men involved in paternity disputes and are committed to providing effective legal representation and actionable advice. Our family law attorneys have extensive experience in all aspects of family law — we handle paternity, child custody, visitation, and child support cases and know how to protect your rights as a father.

To speak to one of our experienced paternity lawyers about your case, contact us today.

Arkansas Paternity Laws

When a child is born and the parents are married, the child is presumed by law to be the biological child of the husband. This legal presumption, until DNA testing became available, used to be non-rebuttable and known as The Rule in Lord Mansfield’s Case. Today, things have changed. If it is believed the child is not the biological child of the husband, DNA paternity testing may be sought.

When a child is born to a woman who is not married, she has sole custody of the child. The father has no rights until he has established three things:

  1. He is the biological father.
  2. He is found to be fit and proper to have rights of visitation or care and custody.
  3. He has met his financial obligations (i.e. child support) to the child.

The parties can agree as to who the father is and acknowledge fatherhood without DNA testing by execution of an Acknowledgment of Paternity (AOP). This does not, however, establish a father’s rights. That can only be done through a court after the father has shown he has met the requirements for visitation and/or custody.

Rescinding an Acknowledgement of Paternity (AOP)

If a supposed father has signed an AOP based on the mother having lied, defrauded, or deceived him, he may be able to hire a skilled attorney to litigate in his favor. The burden of proof has a high threshold, however, so it is imperative you hire an experienced family law attorney to help establish paternity.

Individuals who have signed an AOP have the ability to rescind it within 60 days of the date it was signed and notarized. Either parent may rescind an AOP. After 60 days, parties who wish to rescind an AOP must ask a court to remove the father’s name from the child’s birth certificate.

We are often asked if a non-biological father can be removed from a birth certificate. The courts in Arkansas do not typically remove the father’s name on a birth certificate unless and until paternity is established with another father through DNA testing.

This scenario often happens in divorce situations in which a non-biological parent is being expected to provide child support for non-biological children due to the presumption of paternity given to a child born during the marriage.

Putative Fathers

Fathers have and deserve the same rights as mothers do. If a man believes he is the father of a child, born or unborn, and he wishes to be sure his father’s rights are protected, he has a legal right to establish paternity by DNA test. He should immediately sign up on the Putative Father’s Registry at the Vital Records Division of the Arkansas Department of Health.

He must then legally establish his parental rights and show he is fit and proper for visitation and/or to get custody of the child. He must begin meeting or offering to meet any financial responsibilities he may have for the child. The child support lawyers for fathers at Destiny Law can help guide you through this process.

Petition to Establish Paternity

Unfortunately, there are instances in which a parent does not want to submit to a request for a DNA test, often in order to avoid the financial responsibilities associated with parenthood or to deprive the other parent of legal rights and involvement. When this occurs, a Petition to Establish Paternity may be filed. The court will then order the parties and minor child to submit to a DNA test.

A father may file a Petition to Establish Paternity, and a mother cannot refuse or deny a paternity test if there is a court order requiring it. This is often done in conjunction with a Petition to Establish Custody, Support, and Visitation. Destiny Law’s experienced paternity lawyers or child custody attorneys in Little Rock can help with this. Contact us today.

In cases in which genetic testing does not indicate that the man is the father, the father may request that the mother be responsible for the costs associated with taking the matter to court, and the cost of the test itself. If the testing indicates that the alleged father is, in fact, the father of the child, he will usually be responsible for these fees.

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Paternity Testing

DNA paternity testing is relatively quick and non-invasive. To have sufficient accuracy of results, all three parties must be tested, usually by a swab of saliva from the inside of the cheek. It costs approximately $300 to $400 and must be done by an accredited, court-approved lab rather than a private home test. DNA testing results are rendered in under two weeks in most cases.

Paternity testing can be done voluntarily between the parties or by court order. If it becomes necessary to have a court order a man to submit to paternity testing, there can be an additional expense in petitioning the court to have it done. The cost may be borne by the mother, but the court may order the father to reimburse the mother if he is determined to be the father.

Denying Paternity

While a man who is married to a mother is presumed to be the father of a child, he has the ability to deny paternity at the time of birth and before the mother leaves the hospital if the mother and biological father are in agreement. In these cases, all parties (biological father, mother, and husband) sign the back of the Acknowledgment of Paternity (AOP) and have the document notarized, after which a legal relationship exists between the biological father and the child.

Contact a Little Rock Paternity Lawyer

Whether you are trying to establish or deny paternity, the assistance of a paternity attorney can often have a significant impact on the outcome of your case. Even in instances where you are sure of the outcome, the representation of a paternity lawyer can make the process go much more smoothly and ensure that you obtain the result you are seeking as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Contact us today to learn how our father’s rights attorneys can help in paternity and family law issues.

Contact Our Paternity Lawyers