Father’s Rights
In cases where mothers refuse to allow access to children or otherwise dominate and interfere with the relationship of a father and his children, Parental Alienation may occur and is countered with the right legal representation.
When paternity is presumed valid and unless prevented otherwise by protective orders, fathers have primary legal rights to their children, including the right to physical possession, the direction of religious and moral training, designation of the residence of the child, the duty to care for, provide for, and discipline the child, among other rights. A mother cannot interfere with a father’s rights because she simply does not wish for him to have a relationship with their children.
If you are in a situation where alienation is occurring and interfering with your rights and responsibilities to your child(ren), contact us today to learn about the legal options available to you.
Paternity
If you are a man who is certain he is the father of a child he is being denied access to, a man concerned he may or may not be the father of a child or a mother who is seeking to prove the paternity of her child’s father, we can help.
If a father is listed on the birth certificate, signs an acknowledgment of paternity or takes a DNA test, paternity is considered established. These steps are required by the court before a formal adjudication of the father can occur and a parent-child relationship be legally determined.
Suits Affecting Parent-Child Relationship (SAPCR) are the next step and necessary to determine child support requirements, rights and conservatorship. Most courts require child support unless the parents of the child are living together. The purpose of child support is to provide for the child and his or her best interests, therefore it is typical that the court will not waive child support requirements where they are deemed appropriate.
Contact our firm today if you need help with establishing your parental rights, determination of paternity and/or determination of child support requirements.