Paternity Cases

Chicago, Illinois Paternity Case Lawyer

Serving residents of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall and Lake Counties
In Illinois, paternity actions are governed by the Illinois Parentage Act of 1984. The Parentage Act provides the framework for all paternity actions, including establishing a parent and child relationship, presumption of paternity, DNA testing, visitation, custody, and child support and related matters. In addition, The Parentage Act also establishes what the responsibilities and rights of unmarried parents are in each parent-child relationship.

In parentage cases, child support is established the same way that child support is established for couples going through a divorce, under the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act. The goal is to allow the child or children to be kept in the same lifestyle that they would have if their family stayed together.

Within two years of a child being born, if an action is brought into court, the court may require that the father pay expenses that the mother incurred while pregnant and during the delivery of her child, within reason.

The Parentage Act has also worked to get rights for unmarried fathers to be equal to married fathers in terms of child custody. If a man believes that a child is his, he can get a court order to determine paternity and then request to get custody or visitation rights to his child.

For most cases, the non-custodial parent will usually get visitation rights. Visitation rights vary for each case and take into account the best interest of the child. For cases involving paternity issues, it is best to contact experienced attorney, Martin Osinski, to help you understand what your legal rights are.
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