Paternity is the legal establishment of the child’s father. Although it is a common belief that if a man’s name is on the child’s birth certificate, that establishes him as the father of the child. However, until the Court enters a judgment of paternity, or similar order, the father has no legal rights and the mother cannot obtain child support from the father. A Petition for Paternity must be filed. The petition may be filed by either parent. Normally one parent is seeking child support and the other is seeking timeshareing with the child.