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
Fathers’ Rights in Custody and Adoption Cases in Illinois
In our last post, we discussed how Lamar Sally, the husband of The View co-host Sherri Shepherd, has asked for full legal and physical custody of the couple’s unborn baby boy, who will be arriving in July via surrogacy. As we discussed, when deciding custody matters, courts are beginning to recognize that both parents —…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
Unmarried fathers in Illinois must take steps to protect rights
Many Illinois residents followed the high-profile Baby Veronica case as if it were a soap opera. And, in fact, it did have all of the twists and turns of a made-for-TV drama. It pitted a biological father’s rights against the rights of adoptive parents, with a beautiful little girl at the center. There was also…Read More