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Deerfield Unmarried Parents Attorney

More and more, every year, couples are choosing to have children together without getting married. Unfortunately, the laws of Illinois are built around the experience of married parents, and this can cause some legal friction for you. We are here to help you understand your challenges and meet them appropriately.

At Law Offices of Stuart A. Reid P.C., we are family law attorneys for unmarried parents who want to have the clarity on legal issues they need so they can be the parents they want to be for their kids. Whether your concern is establishing paternity or understanding the legal process of custody rights for unmarried parents, we can help you.

Important Terms For Parents To Know About Custody In Illinois

Unmarried parents who want to be involved in all aspects of their kids’ lives, are going to have to get familiar with the legal realities ahead. One way to familiarize yourself is to understand some of the common terms you may hear, such as:

  • Parentage: Parentage is the legal relationship between a parent and a child. While the biological mother of a child is considered a “natural parent,” an unmarried father is not and may have to establish parentage with additional steps.
  • Paternity: Similar to parentage, paternity is the legal relationship of a biological father with their child. Filing a “voluntary acknowledgement of paternity” is one way to establish parentage early. Without establishment of paternity or parentage, and unmarried fathers may not have rights to visit the child.
  • Custody: Obviously custody refers to the physical possession of a child, but that is only the physical custody. There is also legal custody which refers to the decision making power of the parents. Both are part of the overall child custody agreement.
  • Support: Child support are payments from one parent to the other for the financial support of the children. Illinois considers both parents responsible for the children and as such will allow a parent to file a lawsuit to get support.

Many of our clients have questions and worries about what life will be like as a parent with an uncertain relationship with their co-parent. People ask about the custody rights for unmarried parents and how to build a parenting agreement.

Our answers are different for every single case, because a case is more than the legal pieces. It’s the human pieces as well. Your case and the answers you seek hinge on you, your co-parent and your child. It will be our job to help you make a plan that fits within the law.

Large Firm Experience, Individual Attention

We have the experience of lawyers at big law firms, but we’re working on a much smaller scale. We help one client at a time, focusing on them fully and giving them the full benefits of our experience and insight. Call today at 847-504-8694 or send an email using this online form.