Many times fathers don’t know what their paternal rights are.
Here are some general questions to ask yourself:
Am I Able To Have Time Off Of Work When My Child Is Born?
New fathers are able to take off work when the child is born or when an adoption is taking place. To have the leave, you have to have been working for the same employer for 12 months by the end of the 15th week before your child is due, or having worked 25 hours a week for 50 weeks. Many employers under federal law give 12 weeks of leave.
What If My Partner And I Work At The Same Company?
If you and your partner work at the same company, you are allowed 12 weeks combined. You are also allowed to take the leave any time you want within the first year. If you want to spread the 12 weeks out, you can.
What If I Don’t Qualify?
First make sure you qualify under FMLA and State Divisions. If you do, and you’ve given your notice, let your employer know about the laws. If they still don’t give you the time, contact your human resource department to file a complaint.
There are other concerns when it comes to paternal rights when you are divorced or unmarried. Having your paternal rights is important for, child support, visitation, joint custody, etc. If your child was born and you were not married to the mother, the mother has full rights until the court says differently. The first step in taking action for your paternal rights will be to take a paternity test. Once you have taken that you can proceed with visitation rights and custody.
Once you have proven you are the father, there are a couple of different ways to split custody. You can have joint legal custody, which means both you and the Mother will make decisions together for the child. Full Legal custody means you will make all of the decisions for the child as far as schools, doctors, etc.
Learning about your paternal rights takes some time. The best way to learn about your rights, whether it’s for paternal leave or paternal custody, is consulting with a lawyer. Call Konicek Law Orlando to set up a consultation.
Emily A. Konicek brings 14 years of experience to your family law concerns. Emily excels at mediation, negotiation and litigation, and can help you pursue a course of action that helps you meet your goals for the future and for your family.
