Fathers’ Rights in Georgia

Chris HobsonFamily Law

Georgia Family Law & Fathers’ Rights

Securing Your Family’s Future

At Hobson & Hobson, we help our clients work through a variety of family law issues towards the best possible outcome for you and your family. One of the most widely misunderstood elements of family law, either when a couple is filing for divorce, or a child is born out of wedlock, is Fathers’ Rights. While our society continues to make advances in gender equality, the old paradigm that the mom takes care of the kids and house while dad takes care of the bills is too often the assumption in family law. The fact is, Georgia family law courts see both spouses / parents the same regardless of gender, and aim to set up a plan that is equitable, both financially and in terms of how often each parents sees the children.

Fathers’ Rights Through a Divorce

If you are getting divorced, unless there are fairly extreme circumstances, the Georgia family law court will encourage you and your spouse to build a plan where both of you are involved in the lives of the children. If you are in a situation where you need to pursue primary custody because of substance abuse or other issues that could potentially effect the safety of your children, we can help. The most important thing is to not just submit to a situation where you are paying for, but not seeing, your children. It can be frustrating to work with your ex-spouse, but the best thing for the children, and everyone involved, is to have a good agreement in place that is respected by both parties. For more information on related family law topics, please see our main website:

• Divorce in Cobb County
• Child Custody & Support
• The Divorce Process

Fathers Rights Through a Child Born out of Wedlock

If you have had a child out of wedlock in Georgia, you are not granted any, custody, visitation or rights to the child automatically. A father has no legal custody or visitation rights to his minor child until he files for a Petition for Legitimation and receives an Order Legitimating the minor child. Once this is done, your county court will establish the following:

• Legitimation
• Child Custody
• Child Support
• Name Change

If you have had a child out of wedlock, working through the Georgia courts to get Legitimation in order is critical. If you need assistance working through the legitimation process, contact our office for a consultation today.