Going through a breakup with your partner is likely one of the most difficult experiences you will have to endure. This may be especially hard if you lived together and share a child. As a father who never got legally married to your child’s mother, you may feel as though you will be at a severe disadvantage in your upcoming custody case. However, you must not be discouraged and fight for equal and fair access to your child. With all that being said, please read on to discover whether you can get custody rights over your child as an unmarried father and how a seasoned New York City child custody attorney at Zimmet Law Group, P.C. can help prove your case to the court.
As an unmarried father, can I get custody rights over my child?
Before you, as an unmarried father, can get into your child custody case proceedings, you must first establish your paternity. Ideally, you may have signed a certificate of parentage at the hospital immediately following your child’s birth. This document essentially acknowledges that you claim to be the one of the parents of your child.
Even so, though, your former partner may be emotionally driven and decide to dispute the legitimacy of this document and overall deny your parentage. With this, the New York State family court may order you to submit to genetic testing. Hopefully, these fool-proof results may establish your right to fight for custody over your child.
How can I prove I can handle custodial rights over my child?
Establishing paternity is one thing, but demonstrating that you are parentally fit is something else. That is, you must prove to the New York State family court that you are dedicated to being a good parent to your child. Plus, being granted custodial rights over your child will align with their well-being and prioritize their health, safety, and happiness.
With that being said, you must exhibit your ability to handle custodial rights in the following ways:
- You must show that you have moved to a new living space that ensures your child’s safety and stability.
- You must show that you are already well-accustomed to feeding, bathing, and caring for your child’s daily needs.
- You must show that you are already well-accustomed to making sound education, religious, and healthcare decisions for your child.
- You must show that you have sufficient income to support your child’s basic needs and wants (i.e., food, clothing, housing, healthcare, schooling, etc).
- You must show that you and your child already have a well-established, special bond with one another (i.e., family traditions, shared hobbies, etc).
- You must show that it is already typical of you to see or communicate with your child daily (i.e., phone calls, video calls, text messages, etc).
To give yourself enough time to develop a solid case, please contact one of the competent New York City matrimonial and family law attorneys from Zimmet Law Group, P.C., as soon as possible. We look forward to hearing from you.
