Father's Rights

Fathers' Legal Rights in Tennessee

A Family-Operated Law Firm that Cares about You

As times progress, ideas have changed regarding a father's role in raising children. It used to be that in almost every divorce case, the mother would be granted custody of the children while the father's role would be reduced to that of the weekend-visitor who, once a month, wrote out a child support check.

Now, as fathers take on greater and greater parenting duties, people are starting to question whether it's really fair to assume the mother makes the better parent. Fathers' legal rights have gotten more attention, and the legislature has responded with a radical shift in the way child custody and child support in Tennessee are determined. For a free initial consultation with a fathers' rights attorney, contact Nimmo Hoehn & Nimmo today.

Make Sure You Play a Role in Your Child's Life

One common misconception among fathers is that, when the mother hires a divorce attorney to draw up the divorce papers, those papers seek a fair agreement. Fathers mistakenly think they don’t need an attorney, because the mother's attorney has already done the work. In reality, an attorney can only represent one client, and the documents the attorney draft will reflect that they represent their own client's best interest.

This leads to lopsided custody arrangements that can seriously impact a father's future relationship with his children. If, in determining a custody arrangement, the father isn't granted "substantially equal time" with the children as the mother, then he may not be legally entitled to make some of the decisions regarding the future and the upbringing of the child. The mother can even take the children and move out of state, and there may be little that the father can do.

To ensure that your right to raise your own child is represented, contact a fathers' rights lawyer at Nimmo Hoehn & Nimmo today, and we'll set up a free initial consultation.