Paternity is a term used to describe the relationship between a father and his child. Legal paternity is established by law, and it gives a mother the right to seek child support from her child's father. Additionally, a father then has the right to seek custody and visitation.

In Illinois, when a married woman gives birth, her husband is the baby’s father. Or, if a mother is married at the time of conception, her ex-husband is assumed to be the child’s father. In both scenarios, a husband or ex-husband’s name is placed on a birth certificate and is therefore considered a baby’s legal father.

However, when a mother is not married at the time she gives birth, a father is not automatically considered a legal father — even if the couple is in a long-term relationship and there is no doubt the man is the child’s father. In these scenarios, a father must first establish paternity in order to become a child’s legal father and have his name placed on the birth certificate.

One of the fundamental questions decided during a divorce revolves around child support. In virtually all cases involving minor children, the parent with whom the children will primarily live - the custodial parent - is entitled to receive monetary assistance from the non-custodial parent to help with the needs of the children. In Illinois the laws established a formula for determining the measure of child support that is appropriate under different circumstances.

The Law in Illinois