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Enforce Your Parental Rights With Our Assistance

These are cases where parents have child(ren) together, but were not married. Either party can file a petition and serve the other party with it by a private process server. A DNA test can be requested by either party and the court will allocate the costs of same between the parties.

Determining paternity or parentage is an important step to enforce your rights to parenting time or child support. At Shyama S. Parikh, P.C., in Waukegan, our team of attorneys can represent you in every step of the process. You can ask us your questions and we will explain what you can expect when it comes to parentage and paternity.

What You Should Know About Parentage And Paternity

In Illinois, after an order adjudicating the father is entered, the parties will attempt to reach a settlement on custody and visitation. If they are unsuccessful, they will be ordered to mediation. If mediation is successful, either a parenting agreement or joint parenting agreement will be entered. If mediation is unsuccessful, then the court will appoint either a guardian ad litem, child representative or section 604(b) evaluator. The court will review the report/recommendations/position of one of these individuals and will allow the parties to reach a settlement based on same.

If no agreement is reached, the court can conduct a pretrial conference to make a recommendation about custody and visitation. The court can also conduct a trial and make a decision if the parties cannot reach an agreement on their own. Financial support is also awarded in these cases, and it can be awarded retroactive to the date of birth of the minor child(ren), in addition to pregnancy expenses. Parties will need to attend the approved parenting class before the entry of the final parenting or joint parenting agreement.

Discuss Your Rights Regarding Parentage/Paternity In A Free Consult

You have rights as a parent that you deserve to enforce. When it comes to parentage or paternity, we can help you with these rights. We provide free initial consultations, so reach out to us today to schedule yours. You can call 847-557-1517 or send us an email.