The state of Illinois presumes that a husband of a mother who gives birth is the baby’s father. However, if the mother is unmarried, there is no presumption of paternity so paternity must be established to ensure the financial support of the child. Sometimes unmarried parents will enter into an informal child support agreement. However,…Read More
Establishing Paternity
A biological mother or someone who believes they are the parent to a child may also establish parentage in court by filing a petition. At the hearing, the petitioner will testify before the judge and genetic testing will be ordered. If genetic testing proves parentage, child support will be ordered. Failure to respond to an…Read More
Illinois Supervised Child Visitation
If you have concerns about your child spending time with your estranged spouse for safety reasons or their emotional well-being, you may be wondering if supervised visits are possible following your divorce. If the court finds a preponderance of evidence that a parent engaged in conduct that seriously endangered a child’s mental, moral, or physical…Read More
Petitions for Rule to Show Cause
There is an Appellate Court Opinion entitled Knoll v. Coyne, 2016 IL App. (1st) 152494. It was decided September 30, 2016. The case involved the mother who did not permit the father to have visitation with the child. He filed a petition for rule to show cause. The Court found that the mother willfully violated…Read More
Father Support Center Helps Dads Shine
When dads are absentee or marginally involved, their children can suffer. With that in mind, the Father Support Center of St. Louis, Missouri has made strides to help dads understand some of the ins and outs of parenting. The Father’s Support Center is widely recognized for tackling the problem of absentee and uninvolved dads and…Read More
Child Support & Visitation Hang in the Balance in Dispute Over Paternity
Illinois legal disputes over paternity typically concern a father’s responsibility for paying child support and/or the right to visitation or custody. Even if a father has not signed a statement of paternity, such as signing off on a birth certificate, he may still be responsible for child support. If a father refuses to voluntarily sign…Read More
Fathers’ rights: the evolving expectations of loving dads
Some readers of our blog posts residing in Illinois and elsewhere might be old enough to remember well some of the vintage family-related shows of bygone decades, like Father Knows Best and Leave it to Beaver. Although those shows all had singular story lines, of course, a common element seemed to closely connect virtually all…Read More
Many fathers still face an uphill child custody battle
The role fathers play in their children’s lives has changed significantly in recent decades. Today, fathers are much more hands-on with raising their children than they were in past generations. Additionally, gender roles have shifted as more women are working outside of the home and more men are taking on roles inside of the home….Read More
Court: Father should have found about pregnancy
Fathers’ rights have come a long way over the years, but many men in Illinois and the rest of the United States would argue that they are still fighting an uphill battle in child custody proceedings. Unmarried fathers, especially, may feel like the laws are stacked against them. That’s why it’s important for unmarried fathers…Read More
Custody rights still a fight for many fathers
In our last post, we discussed how fathers in Illinois and elsewhere now have more rights in custody cases. They also have a greater number of legal options available when trying to establish paternity, seek visitation rights or fight an adoption. However, while today’s dads fare much better than dads from decades ago, fathers’ rights…Read More
