paternity-petition

name	paternity-petition
title	Petition to Establish Paternity
description	Drafts a Petition to Establish Paternity for family court filings. Covers court captions, standing allegations, factual bases, and relief requests with state-specific statutory requirements. Use when initiating paternity actions, child support petitions tied to parentage, custody filings requiring parentage determination, or birth certificate amendments.
author	CaseMark
author_url	https://github.com/CaseMark/skills/tree/main/skills/legal/paternity-petition
license	Apache-2.0
version	0.1.0
execution_mode	open
jurisdiction	us
practice	family
language	en
tags	["drafting","litigation","pleading"]

Petition to Establish Paternity

Drafts a family court petition for judicial declaration of paternity, establishing the legal parent-child relationship as foundation for support, custody, visitation, and inheritance orders.

Prerequisites

Gather before drafting:

• Jurisdiction — state, county, family court division
• Petitioner — full name, address, standing basis (mother, alleged father, guardian, state agency)
• Respondent — full name, last known address; flag if whereabouts unknown
• Child — full name, DOB, birthplace, current residence, birth certificate details
• Relationship facts — timeline, conception window, prior acknowledgments or denials
• Prior proceedings — existing custody/support/paternity orders or pending cases
• Desired relief — support, custody, name change, birth certificate amendment, genetic testing

Quick Start

1. Confirm jurisdiction and identify governing paternity statute (UPA or state equivalent)
2. Collect party and child information per prerequisites
3. Draft petition sections in order below
4. Verify against filing checklist before finalizing

Petition Sections

1. Court Caption

Element	Requirement
Court name	Full name with county/district designation
Case number	Assigned or "Case No. To Be Assigned"
Parties	Petitioner / Respondent (not plaintiff/defendant)
Local fields	Judge name, division, case type code per local rules

2. Petitioner Standing

• Full name, address, phone, email; attorney info if represented (name, bar number, firm)
• Standing basis: state relationship to child
• Address confidentiality if DV protections apply

3. Respondent Information

• Full name, last known address, contact info
• Location unknown → flag service by publication
• Identity uncertain → address factual complexity while maintaining legal sufficiency

4. Child Information

• Full name (as on birth certificate), DOB, birthplace, current residence
• Whether birth certificate lists a father