Establishment of Paternity  

If you believe you are the father of a child but are not included on the child’s birth certificate or signed an affidavit of parentage, you can file a petition to establish paternity to determine if you will be legally recognized as the child’s father.  

Paternity can be established in three ways: 

1. By marital presumption – If the mother is married at the time of a child’s conception or birth, Maryland law presumes that the mother’s husband is the father of the child. 

2. By affidavit of parentage – If the mother is not married when a child is born, both parents can sign an affidavit of parentage to establish paternity. 

3. By judicial declaration – If the mother is not married when a child is born and both parents do not sign an affidavit of parentage, paternity can be established by a court order. This process generally involves genetic testing, unless the father affirms under oath that he is the child’s father and the mother agrees. 

Disestablishment of Paternity 

Parents have a legal obligation to support their minor children. Disestablishing paternity generally arises when one parent requests child support from the other parent. Depending on how paternity was established, if you are served with a request for child support and you do not believe you are the father of the child, you can file a petition to disestablish paternity to ask the court to declare that you are not the child’s father, thereby relieving you of an obligation to pay child support. 

Meet Our Family Law Team  

Monica Scherer and her team are dedicated to providing aggressive representation and sound legal advice to our family law clients. Our attorneys have many years of litigation experience and provide effective representation to our clients in all types of family law matters, including paternity.

Meet Our Family Law Team  

Monica Scherer and her team are dedicated to providing aggressive representation and sound legal advice to our family law clients. Our attorneys have many years of litigation experience and provide effective representation to our clients in all types of family law matters. They are recognized as leaders in this field.  

Monica Scherer is a senior partner at Silverman Thompson and heads the firm’s family law practice. Her vast experience in domestic and family law matters is the foundation of her recognition as a leading Maryland family, divorce, and custody attorney. 

A lifelong resident of Anne Arundel County, Nathan Volke has exclusively practiced family law for nearly 15 years. He knows that people going through a divorce or family law dispute are looking for both legal guidance and support. Mr. Volke employs a proactive and attentive approach to his representation. Clients know him for his determination, passion, and effectiveness in and out of court.

Rian Wieser joined Silverman Thompson in 2025, previously working as an attorney at the Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault, representing survivors across the state. She has a strong track record of securing positive outcomes for her clients through diligent preparation and advocacy.

Erin Brooks is an associate on the Silverman Thompson family law team who also holds a Master’s of Social Work, giving her a well-rounded perspective and unique sets of skills when working with divorce, child custody and support, parenting agreements, alimony, marital property division, marital settlement agreements, visitation, and paternity matters.