FAMILY LAW
Custody & Parenting
PATERNITY
A “paternity” legal proceeding is the process of determining the legal father of a child. Once the legal father has been determined, he has an obligation to support the child financially and the right to petition the Court for custody and/or parenting time. In Minnesota law, the unmarried mother has sole custody unless a Court issues a custody order indicating otherwise.
The process of determining paternity has several components and important time frames including completion of the “Recognition of Parentage Form”, “Minnesota Father’s Adoption Registry” and a host of legal factors related to petitioning for custody and/or parenting time.