The Family and Medical Leave Act insures that covered employers must grant an eligible employee up to a total of 12 work weeks of unpaid leave during any 12-month period for any of the following reasons:

• for the birth and care of the newborn child of the employee;
• for placement with the employee of a son or daughter for adoption or foster care;
• to care for an immediate family member (spouse, child, or parent) with a serious health condition; or
• to take medical leave when the employee is unable to work because of a serious health condition.

The act does not apply to all employers, however. There are certain criteria that must be met for these ‘benefits’ to apply, namely:

• the employee must have worked for the employer for over a year
• in that time they must have worked 1250 hours over a 12-month span
• the business must have at least 50 employees

Paternity and paternity leave extends to those instances where the couple having a child are not married. However, for this to be valid, paternity must be established. Paternity is the legal identification of the father of a child. Once legal paternity is established, the acknowledged father will gain his legal rights to his child as well as take on responsibilities for supporting his child.

If you are seeking to establish paternity or challenge paternity tests, please call an experienced Southern California paternity attorney at Wallin & Klarich. The laws that apply to paternity testing are complex. We can help guide you through the complicated legal process and get you the help and support you need. Call us today at 1-888-749-7428 for a free consultation.