Many days I get people who call me and they’ve had a child with someone else, and they are not married. And that does change the structure and the layout of the case and how we move forward from there.

Unfortunately, right now in the state of Tennessee, if you are the man and you have a child with someone and you are not married, at that point, you do not have any rights to co-parenting or visitation with the child. In the state of Tennessee, custody of a child born out of wedlock is with the mother until there’s a court order that says otherwise. Therefore, it’s very important that you immediately contact an attorney, so that we can get a case filed in the court to start the process.

Another reason it’s important is because the laws in the state of Tennessee did recently change in one aspect, and that is as soon as you file that parentage case, certain injunctions will go in place. And one injunction that’s really important, can prohibit the other parent from relocating out of state or more than 50 miles from you.

So if you find yourself in this situation, please contact us immediately and we can help you with those needs. We proudly serve the Knoxville and Greater East Tennessee areas, and we can be reached at 865-546-2141. You can also find us at Banksandjones.com.