Collaborative Paternity Services

Establishing paternity of a child can be a rewarding experience for everyone involved and confers a number of rights and responsibilities on the father of the child. After legal paternity of a child is established, the parents of the child will need to work out a number of legal issues, including parenting time, custody and visitation, support, and more. One option that is growing in popularity to negotiate and resolve these matters is the use of collaborative paternity services. If you would like to learn more about how collaborative paternity services can assist in your family law matters, call or contact the law office of Blair H. Chan, III in Tampa Bay today to speak with an expert in Florida family law now.

What are Collaborative Paternity Services?

Collaborative paternity services are a team-based interdisciplinary approach to resolving legal disputes involving paternity rights and responsibilities. The parents of the child and their lawyers work with a team of experts to determine what is in the best interests of their child in order to resolve their issues. This may include the use of a child psychologist, mental health professionals, financial planners, and others to help determine what is best for the child in each legal matter.

The benefit of using collaborative paternity services is that the parents avoid going to court to resolve their issues. In many cases, the collaborative process is faster and cheaper than traditional litigation. It can also be accomplished on the parents’ schedule instead of accommodating the court. The collaborative method also encourages communication and compromise between parents, unlike traditional courtroom litigation that pits parent against parent in their dispute.

Issues that Can Be Resolved Using Collaborative Paternity Services

There are many issues that can be resolved using a collaborative method for paternity matters. Some of the most common family law matters negotiated and settled for paternity cases includes the following:

Custody

Once paternity is established, the father has a right to spend time with his child. This may include establishing joint physical and legal custody of the child. It may also include the mother retaining legal custody while splitting physical custody with the father.

Parenting Time

Another issue that can be resolved using collaborative methods is the amount of parenting time that the father will get with his child. Also known as visitation rights, parenting time allows a father to spend time with and develop a relationship with his child. This may be with the mother or an appointed guardian present, or it may be time spent alone with father and child.

Support

After paternity is legally acknowledged, the father also has the obligation to support his child monetarily with their everyday needs. Collaborative services can help determine what level of support is appropriate given the state laws and guidelines for child support as well as the split in parenting time between mother and father.

Talk to Our Office Now

If you would like to speak with a Tampa paternity lawyer about utilizing collaborative paternity services for your case, call or contact Blair H. Chan, III today to discuss your legal needs.

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