Mooresville Fathers’ Rights Lawyer

Mooresville Fathers’ Rights Attorney

Navigating any case within family law can be extremely overwhelming, especially when you are a father trying to secure your parental rights and build meaningful relationships with your children. In these scenarios, it’s recommended that you hire a Mooresville fathers’ rights lawyer. These are professional “dad advocates” who can help guide fathers throughout the custody process and ensure that no one takes advantage of their rights.

At Lassiter & Lassiter, our team of skilled lawyers understands the emotional and legal challenges that fathers face during these types of family disputes. We have helped many fathers in similar situations, and our firm can offer the same type of quality legal representation to your own case. Our approach is designed to protect your parental rights while aiming to achieve an outcome that satisfies everyone else in your family.

What Are the Most Common Disputes Found in Fathers’ Rights Cases?

Because raising children comes with a ton of different responsibilities, there are a number of disputes that can arise between parents who are divorced or separated. Some of the most common cases found in Mooresville include:

Custody and Visitation

Disputes over child custody are some of the most frequent cases concerning fathers’ rights. In some cases, a father wants to have sole custody of his children to be legally recognized as the primary caretaker. If not sole custody, he may try to fight for joint custody in a scenario where the other parent is trying to obtain full custody for themselves. These are complicated cases that will require the court to look into both individuals’ parenting capacities.

Visitation rights are also commonly contested in family law court. Many times, a parent who successfully obtained full custody might try to prevent a father from having formal visitation hours. This can dramatically decrease a father’s ability to maintain a bond with his kids. Common visitation disagreements include how the visits are scheduled, how much time can be spent talking on the phone together, and who gets the children on certain holidays.

Child Support

Child support disputes often arise when a father feels that the financial demands expected of him do not accurately reflect what is required of the other parent to support the children. A father could also challenge how child support was calculated to suggest that an original order is taking too much money. If there is ever a significant change in how much money a father makes throughout the duration of a custody order, it could trigger a child support modification request.

In an even more severe scenario, a father will challenge how his child support payments are being spent. If there is any evidence to suggest that the money is not going directly to the child’s needs and rather is being spent frivolously, this could warrant an investigation. If there is additional evidence that a child is being neglected in the process, this could completely change the nature of the original custody and support orders.

Paternity

Unmarried fathers who want to gain legal recognition and rights to their children can establish paternity through the courts. While working with a family law attorney, this process will involve a ton of documentation collection and DNA testing to make a valid paternity claim. Challenges could arise if there are any disputes regarding the father’s identity or the validity of the paternity tests.

Relocation

When one parent is looking to move away, it could disrupt the current custody or visitation arrangements. This can have a negative impact on the non-moving parent’s ability to maintain consistent interactions with their child.

In these scenarios, a father will need to request a child custody and visitation modification order for the court to reevaluate the circumstances of the family dynamic. For example, a father may need to request having the kids over on more holiday vacations to compensate for losing more weekends, now that the other parent has moved away from Mooresville, North Carolina.

FAQs

Q: What Rights Do Fathers Have in North Carolina?

A: All fathers in North Carolina have the right to seek custody of and visitation with their children, just as mothers do. There is no preference for either parent solely based on gender but rather on their ability to be effective parents. As long as there is no evidence to suggest that a father has been abusive or neglectful toward the children in the past, he will have a right to obtain joint custody of the children.

Q: Does the Father Have Rights If He Is Not Listed on the Birth Certificate in NC?

A: One of the easiest ways to establish paternity is by having your name on a child’s birth certificate. However, if a father is not listed on this document, he will not automatically have parental rights. To gain these rights, the father will need to establish paternity by working with an attorney to open a case and provide DNA. After paternity is proven, the father can pursue custody and visitation rights.

Q: How Can a Father Lose Visitation Rights in NC?

A: If the court has determined that a father’s behavior will likely have a negative impact on a child’s physical or emotional health, he could lose visitation rights. Before this can happen, the other parent must provide evidence that shows how the father has either been abusive in the past toward the kids or has engaged in illegal substances. If a father does not believe that these claims are true, he can dispute the matters in court with the help of an attorney.

Q: How Long Does a Father Have to Be Absent to Lose His Rights in NC?

A: If a father has gone longer than six months without maintaining contact or supporting a child, he faces the risk of losing his parental rights in North Carolina. This will not happen automatically, but it can be used as a piece of evidence from the other parent to start a family law case to try to earn full custody. A father will need to work with an attorney to develop a rebuttal to these claims to preserve his parental rights.

Contact Lassiter & Lassiter Today

If you are a father in Mooresville and feel that your rights are being violated, contact our attorneys today. We can gladly guide you through each step of the process. Our firm can advocate for your rights and ensure that no one tries to unlawfully take away time with your children. Contact us today to see why others in your situation have already chosen Lassiter & Lassiter.