3 Reasons To Hire A Paternity Lawyer

Establishing the paternity of a child is critical to family court decisions on custody, visitation, child support, death benefits, and inheritance. After all, the decision to pay child support or leave part of your wealth to another man's kid can have serious financial repercussions on you. Similarly, proving that a child is yours gives you enforceable rights regarding where they live and how they are raised. Paternity tests are pretty common in child custody cases; therefore, one should consider lawyering up. This article highlights the roles of a family lawyer.

Locating the Other Party

Some fathers abscond their parental duties and make it virtually impossible to find them. Since proving paternity requires a sample of DNA material from the father, locating one who does not want to be found can be a long, tedious, expensive, and frustrating process. Thus, paternity attorneys play an integral role in paternity cases since they have the resources, time and expertise to locate the individuals concerned. The easiest way paternity lawyers can find an absentee father is by hiring a private investigator. A paternity lawyer will serve an absentee father to present themselves for DNA testing. If they refuse, an attorney will get a court order compelling the suspected father to provide a DNA sample. Most importantly, locating the suspected father in good time allows for a smooth and quick process.

Organising Independent Analysis

Paternity tests are a sensitive issue, and errors can seriously affect every party involved. Therefore, it is rather interesting that some people do not seek a second opinion once they get the first test results. Unfortunately, it is quite common for people who do not bother to hire a paternity lawyer. Notably, the law has no qualms regarding one party's desire to seek a second opinion for paternity test results. In this regard, a paternity lawyer can help organise an independent analysis of DNA and blood samples. Furthermore, a lawyer can consult with experts and question the qualifications of technicians and the laboratory that performed the original test. Overall, an independent paternity test does not require consent from the mother or the courts.  

Ensuring Proper Chain of Custody

Just as in criminal cases, the importance of chain of custody cannot be overstated. Therefore, collecting, handling and analysing DNA samples can raise doubts if proper steps are not taken. Since paternity tests are complex for the average person to understand, any errors or omissions in the chain of custody can go unnoticed. For instance, paternity tests performed at home using DNA kits can raise serious doubts about the chain of custody, and a paternity lawyer can refute the results. Suppose the paternity test is used in court. In that case, a paternity lawyer will ensure that the collection, handling and analysis are conducted by professional DNA lab testing companies and certified specimen collectors.

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