{"id":969,"date":"2013-07-26T18:34:26","date_gmt":"2013-07-27T00:34:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jaygoodman.com\/?p=969"},"modified":"2021-12-28T13:15:04","modified_gmt":"2021-12-28T20:15:04","slug":"paternity-actions-in-new-mexico-the-basics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jaygoodman.com\/?p=969","title":{"rendered":"Paternity Actions in New Mexico: The Basics"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Paternity<\/a><\/p>\n

When a child is born and the parents are not married, the establishment of paternity is essential because it is the foundation for child support as well as parental rights and responsibilities. \u00a0If the parents are married when the child is born, the husband will be presumed to be the father under New Mexico law. \u00a0In the event the child is born out of wedlock, the father may file a legal action to establish paternity so that he can obtain joint custody or visitation rights while a mother may file to obtain child support from the father. \u00a0A paternity action is essentially a legal action that formally establishes parental rights and responsibilities.<\/p>\n

When a biological father files a complaint to establish paternity so that he can obtain visitation and custody rights, the court also will impose child support orders as part of the paternity action. \u00a0While many times our experienced New Mexico Paternity Attorney can assist our client in negotiating a parenting plan that is in the best interest of the minor child, sometimes the other parent may not cooperate in terms of reaching an agreement. \u00a0When a parenting plan cannot be agreed to by the parties, the court may appoint a child custody evaluator to recommend an appropriate parenting plan. \u00a0While legal custody will be shared by both parents in most cases, the custody evaluator may do some or all of the following when trying to develop a parenting plan:<\/p>\n