Paternity & Legitimation

Atlanta-Marietta Paternity and Legitimation Attorneys

In Georgia, a legal action to establish paternity is called "legitimation." If you are an unmarried father seeking visitation with your child or an unmarried mother who wants child support, you must first establish a legal father-child relationship through an order of legitimation.

The lawyers at Stearns-Montgomery & Associates represent unmarried fathers and mothers in the Atlanta metro area who wish to establish paternity through legitimation orders. We also handle petitions for child support and for custody and visitation rights once paternity has been established.

The legitimation process is necessary to establish paternity when the parents are unmarried, even if the father is named on the birth certificate. However, the process is simpler if both parents agree who the father is. If the two parents do not agree, then paternity must be established through DNA testing.

In addition to mothers seeking child support, our lawyers represent an increasing number of fathers who want to be involved in their children's lives. The legitimation process enables fathers to have the same child custody and visitation rights that a divorced father would have. In addition to creating a legal father-child relationship, an order of legitimation gives the child the right to inherit under Georgia law.

With offices in Atlanta and Marietta, our paternity and legitimation lawyers represent mothers and fathers throughout the Atlanta metropolitan area, including the communities of Alpharetta, Atlanta, Buckhead, Canton, Dallas, Decatur, Douglasville, Duluth, Lawrenceville, Marietta, Roswell, Sandy Springs and Smyrna.

Speak with a caring paternity and legitimation attorney: Call Stearns-Montgomery & Associates today at (770) 426-1148 or fill out our simple contact form.