If you were dating a woman who had a baby, and if you suspect this child is yours, you may be able to obtain legal parental rights to this child. This process can be costly and time-consuming, but it will need to be completed if the mother is not letting you see this child. Here are three of the things you will need to do to fight for parental rights of this child.

Visit a family lawyer

Fighting for paternity rights is not something you can do on your own. You will need a lawyer, and it will be best to find a lawyer that has experience with paternity cases. This type of lawyer will know exactly how to handle the process, and this could help you save time and money.

Petition the court for a paternity test

Without the court's order, it may be impossible for you to even get a paternity test, especially if the mother of the child is against you and letting you into the child's life. With a court order, the mother will not have a choice. She will have to allow you to take a paternity test to find out if you are the biological father of the child.

The test used is a genetic test that will require fluids from you and the child. If the test reveals you are not the father, it may be impossible to get rights for this child. After the court grants your request and the test confirms that you are the father, you will need to proceed onto the next step, which will involve requesting rights for this child.

Seek an agreement with the mother

The third step will be to seek some type of agreement with the mother of the child for visitation rights. If the court is willing to grant you these rights, you should be aware that you may also have some responsibilities along with this, and one of the main ones is child support. If the mother will have the child most of the time, you may be required to financially support the child by sending child support payments to the mother.

All of these issues will be determined in court through the attorneys handling the case and the judge. If you believe you are the father of a child and would like to obtain rights for this child, you should begin the process by seeking help from a family attorney such as Ivy Law Group PLLC.