Legal Definitions - legal father

A legal father is a male parent who has been recognized by law as having legal rights and responsibilities towards their child. This can be through various means such as marriage, adoption, or court order.

For example, if a man is married to a woman and they have a child together, he is automatically considered the legal father of the child. Similarly, if a man adopts a child, he becomes the legal father of that child.

However, in cases where the parents are unmarried, the legal father may need to be established through a court order or by acknowledging paternity. An acknowledged father is the biological father of a child born to unmarried parents who has been legally recognized as the child's father.

For instance, if a man and woman have a child out of wedlock, the man can acknowledge paternity by signing a legal document stating that he is the child's father. This would make him the acknowledged father and give him legal rights and responsibilities towards the child.

Overall, a legal father is a male parent who has been recognized by law as having legal rights and responsibilities towards their child, regardless of whether they are biologically related or not.