Legal Help For Paternity Determinations
The role of each parent can be vital in the upbringing of a child, and the state of Texas has a comprehensive law on establishing or disputing parentage. The Texas Family Code lays out the procedures and factors for adjudication of fathers and acknowledgment of paternity, as well as parentage related to assisted reproduction. Determining the legal parents of a child is crucial in child custody and child support cases and ultimately for the child’s best interest.
If you are currently facing a paternity case, regardless of its complexity, a knowledgeable and experienced family law attorney can provide the assistance you need. Lackey Law Firm, P.C., has represented men and women in the Central Texas area in paternity and parentage cases.
What Is A Paternity Or Parentage Case?
Determining the legal, biological father or parent of a child and acknowledging that person’s rights and responsibilities as a parent can be simple if both parties are cooperating. However, it can also become complex and reach the courtroom depending on various factors.
Lackey Law Firm, P.C., assists clients with a variety of paternity needs, including those involving:
- Adjudicated father: An adjudicated father is a man who has been adjudicated by a court to be the father of a child. This determination can sometimes be necessary to establish parental rights and duties to a child, as well as issues like conservatorship, visitation and child support.
- Assisted reproduction: This term is defined as a method of causing pregnancy other than sexual intercourse, including intrauterine insemination; donation of eggs; donation of embryos; in vitro fertilization and transfer of embryos; and intracytoplasmic sperm injection. In these circumstances, agreements are sometimes necessary to protect the parties involved in the process and establish the intended parents of a child born to a gestational mother, regardless of whether an individual has a genetic relationship with the child.
- Genetic testing: DNA testing is a formal analysis of an individual’s genetic markers to exclude or identify a man as the biological father or a woman as the biological mother of a child.
- Presumed father: In Texas, a presumed father is a man who, by operation of law, is recognized as the father of a child until that status is rebutted or confirmed in a judicial proceeding.
Whether you are seeking to identify or officially establish the parentage of a child, there are important variables to consider that may affect your rights. A qualified family law attorney can assist in pursuing a case for parentage or paternity.
Contact An Attorney For Help With Parental Rights
Whether you are a father who wishes to establish parental rights or a mother who wishes to determine paternity, Lackey Law Firm, P.C., can help. To schedule a consultation, call the firm’s offices in Fredericksburg, New Braunfels, Austin and Corpus Christi* today at 888-705-0307. You may also complete an online contact form.
*Main office is located in Austin, Texas. All office locations are staffed by appointment only.