Best choice for paternity is RS Law.  In Kansas, parents may establish legal paternity in one of the two following ways:

• Parents can sign a document called an “Affidavit Acknowledging Paternity”.  This is generally signed at the hospital after the child has been born. Once this is signed, the man becomes the legal father of the child, and his name is placed upon the child’s birth certificate.

This document may also be signed at a later date. This option of establishing legal paternity is the voluntary option.

In contrast to this option

• A party can obtain an order from the courts which name the man as the father of the child. This is the involuntary method of establishing legal paternity.

If either parent is unsure of whether the man is the father of the child, they can seek a Paternity test. This test is also known as a DNA test, and it compares the DNA of the man with the DNA of the child. It is typically carried out with a simple and painless cheek swab, taking samples from the child, mother, and the man. These samples are then taken to a lab for testing. Under Kansas law, if the test shows at least a 97% percent or greater probability that the man is the child’s father, the man is presumed to be the father.

However, doing this test alone is not sufficient to establish legal paternity. That is, this test alone will not be enough to start receiving child support from the man. The parties must then complete one of the two steps seen above in order to establish legal paternity.

RS Law has experience in establishing legal paternity and can help you navigate through this process.