Chicago Lawyer for the Illinois Putative Father Registry
Protecting a Father's Rights in an Adoption
For an unmarried father in Illinois, one of the greatest risks is that the mother will place the child for adoption without his knowledge or consent. To protect against this, the state of Illinois created the Putative Father Registry.
A "putative father" is a man who may be the biological father of a child but is not married to the mother.
Registering is a free, simple, and absolutely critical step to protect your parental rights.
Schylon Lane, founder of The Elite Law Group, provides urgent, strategic counsel to Chicago-area fathers. She ensures you are protected both on the registry and in the Cook County courts.
Why the Putative Father Registry is So Important
The primary purpose of the Illinois Putative Father Registry (managed by DCFS) is to handle notifications for adoptions.
If a mother decides to place a child for adoption, she is only legally required to notify the father if his name is on the registry.
If you are not on the registry, an adoption can move forward without you.
Your parental rights can be permanently terminated before you ever find out the child was placed for adoption.
This is a time-sensitive emergency.
You must register no later than 30 days after the child's birth. You can, and should, register before the child is even born, as soon as you learn of the pregnancy.
Warning: Registering is NOT Enough
This is the most common legal mistake a putative father makes. Filing with the Putative Father Registry does NOT establish paternity.
It does NOT make you the legal father.
It does NOT give you custody or parenting time.
It does NOT stop the mother from moving.
It ONLY gives you the right to be notified if an adoption proceeding is filed.
The Two-Part Strategy to Secure Your Rights
As a solo attorney, Schylon Lane provides a comprehensive, two-part strategy for putative fathers in Chicago. She believes in being proactive, not reactive.
Immediate Registration: The very first thing she will do is help you file the Putative Father Registry form. This is an emergency measure to protect your rights from being terminated by a secret adoption.
File a Paternity Petition: Immediately after filing with the registry, she will file a Petition to Establish Parentage on your behalf in the Cook County court. This petition proactively seeks to establish you as the legal father.
By filing this petition, you are telling the court, "I am the father, I want a DNA test, and I want my parental rights to custody and parenting time." This is how you secure your relationship with your child. Do not wait to be sued for child support.
Your rights as a father are not automatic.
You must fight for them. Schylon Lane will be your advocate.