Paternity in the 21st Century

Gone are the days when you have witch-hunt type inquiries, into a woman's sexual history in the nine months prior to the birth of her baby. No longer do we need to hear from the potential father how long the relationship was, how many times he was with the mother, or where the trysts took place.

We now live in the very definitive, if very boring, world of DNA tests, where Paternity is settled with a 99.99% certainty with some simple biological tests that only cost a few hundred dollars. If the parties don't like the results, they can still make their claims that, as Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones would say "I only made love to her once", but the Court findings will almost inevitably follow the DNA test.

Once Paternity is established, the issues that arise next are child support and visitation. These can be the most contentious of the Family Court cases because, when Paternity is actually contested it is usually the case that the parents of the child are not in a relationship with each other at present, and visitation may not be desired by the father or not willingly given by the mother.

Both of the partners at Barbera & McElhone, P.C. are experienced in handling Family Court matters such as Paternity. Whether your case is one that needs to be handled aggressively, or needs a certain conciliatory tone to cut through the resentment and resolve the issues at hand, Barbera & McElhone, P.C. will help you get through the case and get the results you need.