Family Law is a branch of law that deals with matters of the family. This area of practice covers a wide range of disciplines including marriage, divorce, abortion, paternity rights, child custody, child support, spousal support, and other matters. Men, especially fathers entrusting family courts with their family’s future often feel nervous about the verdicts. The outdated presumption that mothers are more involved in the care and upbringing of the lives of children is often the root of this worry. It is important for such fathers to seek help from a father’s rights attorney who understands their needs and fights passionately for their rights. If you’re a father in Tulsa, Oklahoma trying to resolve a conflict in marriage, going through a divorce or trying to resolve child custody issues, having a legal representative from a Tulsa family law firm protecting your rights is in your best interests.
Family Law and Fathers Rights Issues
The best interests of any child typically involve spending as much time with both their parents. The outdated notion that a child needs the mother most is often the cause of many fathers losing their chance to get more involved in their child’s life. Often fathers without adequate legal counsel end up sacrificing their rights under pressure or to avoid conflict. Hence, it is important for fathers to have a legal representative to protect their rights and interests. The main issues and family law matters pertaining to fathers rights are:
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Child Custody
Child custody arrangements in Oklahoma are typically categorized in three types – physical custody, legal custody and primary custody. Physical custody is vested in the parent who is entrusted with the child’s care at that moment. The court determines who will have the custody during the school, holidays, festivals, and special occasions. Legal custody refers to the right to take important legal decision for the child’s education, health, medical care, etc. It can be given solely to one parent or shared by both in a joint custody. Primary custody is the main right to take decisions for the child in case on parents seeks to relocate a significant distance away.
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Establishing Paternity
In Oklahoma courts, the fathers of children born out of wedlock have very few rights until they establish their parentage through a legal process. Oklahoma law does grant the presumed father privileges such as visitation until his paternity is confirmed via paternity testing. Establishing your paternity early on is very essential for emotional, financial, and medical reasons. When you establish your parentage, it benefits you as a father and provides the child with important rights and privileges like right to financial and emotional support, medical coverage, etc. Proper legal counsel can help you legally establish a place in your child’s life.
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Child Support
Oklahoma’s child support guidelines are gender-neutral and help to determine which parent will pay and who will get paid regardless of who is father or mother. The courts consider factors like parents’ income, health insurance costs, medical costs, child care costs, marital debts, and child and spousal support obligations. In fact, you can also seek a modification of child support obligations if your circumstances change substantially. It is advisable to obtain legal counsel to handle such cases to protect your rights.
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Visitation Rights
The visitation rights granted to any parent can be maximized through proper legal process. If you’re satisfied with the other parent taking all major decisions, visitation is a viable choice for you. However, if you want to increase your visitation or parenting time, you can seek joint custody. The child custody and visitation laws in Oklahoma are completely child-oriented and keep the best interests of the children at first and foremost.
