Q: As a mother of two children should I sign a consent to legitimation paper to thier father who is seeking custody
The father of my children has made it known that he wants custody of my two children (ages 3 and 4). I plan on going to court. He wants me to sign legitimation papers where he is asking for joint custody. Additionally the papers say that I don't request to be notified about any further dealings on the legitimation. Can this hurt me in any way with maintaining custody of my children?
A: I would strongly recommend that you retain counsel to consult with you about the matter. Until you have spoken with an attorney, I would recommend against you signing any papers, especially anything that would give up your right to your children or waiving your right to notice related to a lawsuit. Legitimizing the father, if he is truly their father, can be a positive step. It provides you with the right to child support if you are the custodial parent. However, it sounds like the papers he is asking you to sign may be seeking more than just legitimizing them. If you cannot affort an attorney, I would suggestion that you contact Atlanta legal aid or Georgia legal aid.
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