What Should I Do if I Have a Child & Am Not Married?

Many people do not realize that if they have a child and are not married, they require a Paternity Action that establishes custody, visitation and support for the child.  Without a court order establishing custody, the father would have no rights to the child.  When parents live together with their child, it may seem like a court order is not really necessary.  This is not true because when couples are cooperative, they have a better chance at agreeing on the issues of custody, visitation and support.  In addition, the father would be protecting his rights to the child.  However, when a split occurs and parents are not in agreement, a court order is necessary and may be more difficult to acquire.  One parent may move away or may not have a traceable address.  There may be arguments over who gets custody of the child.  Further, one parent may be left with no financial support for the child, or one parent may withhold visitation, not allowing the other parent to see the child at appropriate times.  Sometimes people have verbal agreements as to custody, visitation and support, but these are not binding and if these agreements are not followed there is no recourse but to open a Paternity Action and establish custody, visitation and support.