Unmarried Parents

Putting you first: advocacy with compassion

Issues involving unmarried parents and their children are handled in the Juvenile Court rather than the Domestic Relations Court. The Juvenile court has different judges and magistrates but there is some overlap in the way issues such as child support and child custody are addressed between unmarried and married parents. We represent mothers and fathers, and sometimes grandparents and other related family members in establishing custody rights and setting child support.

What are the Issues that Arise?

Although unmarried parents have many of the same circumstances as married parents, there are differences. Sometimes the parents didn’t have an established relationship. In other cases, a father may go years before realizing that he has a child, or hasn’t seen the child for many years and wants to reestablish a relationship. These issues must be resolved considering the best interest of the child and, in most cases, allowing a child to have a relationship with both parents.