Effective Virginia Lawyer Helps Women And Their Children
Under Virginia law, neither mothers nor fathers are favored in custody and visitation determinations. It’s important as a mother that you know this so that you take all necessary steps to protect your rights and interests in disagreements regarding your children. At The Bice Law Group, you benefit from a mothers’ rights lawyer who has 35 years of experience delivering positive outcomes for clients in divorce, child custody, and child support cases. You can count on our attorney David B. Bice to provide knowledgeable, personalized counsel and work hard on your behalf.
What Are My Rights As A Mother?
During a divorce, your rights as a mother are determined by the best interests of the child. If you cannot reach an agreement with your child’s other parent, that is the standard the courts will use when evaluating your case. Either party can receive primary residential custody of your children or share custody. If you are the custodial parent, you have the right to get child support payments from the father of your children. As experienced Virginia child custody lawyers, we will help you understand your parental rights when you are facing divorce.
What Are A Mother’s Rights If A Child’s Parents Never Married?
Unwed mothers are automatically the legal parent of their child. Unwed fathers are not. To secure child support payments, the paternity of the father must be established. If there is a dispute over paternity, you can seek legal means to try and prove a man’s legal parentage. However, a father’s rights will come into play if paternity is successfully established. While the father may have to pay child support, he would also be able to obtain visitation rights and could even seek custody. We will advocate for you in paternity matters and stand up for you if custody is challenged.
Do Mothers Have Certain Rights Before Birth?
Mothers have certain predetermined rights during pregnancy, such as the right to make prenatal health care decisions. If you are expecting, you also have the right to privacy when it comes to your medical records. Neither spouses nor unwed fathers can view records without the consent of mothers.
Can A Mother’s Rights Be Taken Away?
As with fathers, a mother’s parental rights can be limited or taken away if she is found to be an unfit parent. Examples of behavior that can lead to this drastic action include:
- Child abuse
- Drug use
- Serious mental health problems
- History of neglecting their child’s basic needs
- Exposing children in their care to dangerous situations
Parents who have been convicted of murder, voluntary manslaughterm and other serious felonies may also lose their custody rights. If you are in a custody battle and are accused of being unfit or if you have been convicted of a crime, then we will fight for you to maintain access to your children.
How Does Child Support Work If Parents Are Unmarried?
Even if parents never married, they are both required to continue supporting their children financially when the relationship ends. Typically, the noncustodial parent pays the custodial parent. Payments are calculated based on the combined incomes of both parents. An important point to make is that if you are not working, the other parent could claim that you are voluntarily unemployed, which could potentially affect the child support obligation. We work to safeguard the rights of unmarried mothers in child support disputes.
Contact A Reputable Mothers’ Rights Attorney With Your Legal Concerns
At the law firm of The Bice Law Group in Lynchburg, we stand up for the rights of mothers in Virginia custody, visitation, paternity, and child support disputes. To schedule a free consultation, call our firm at 434-509-0232 or contact us online.