Dallas Paternity Lawyer

Direct Attorney Guidance for Paternity Decisions in Texas

Paternity issues can affect child custody, visitation, fathers’ rights, and child support. For unmarried parents, legal parentage may need to be established before a father can pursue possession and access or other parental rights. Texas law provides that a child born to unmarried parents has the same legal rights as a child born to married parents.

These issues can arise whether parents are unmarried, separated, or divorced.

Legally establishing paternity can help mothers and fathers:

• Child Support: If you’re a mother seeking child support, establishing legal paternity may be necessary before the court can enter a support order.
• Custody and Visitation: If you’re a father seeking visitation or custody, you may need to legally establish paternity before asking the court for possession and access or conservatorship orders.

At Mathur Law Offices, P.C., we provide personalized legal guidance for paternity-related disputes based on your circumstances and goals. We represent individuals and families throughout Dallas and North Texas in family-law matters, with direct attorney attention to the issues affecting your child and your rights as a parent.

Call (888) 867-5191 to discuss which paternity pathway may apply to your family.

How to Establish Paternity in Texas

Texas Family Code Chapter 160 recognizes several ways to establish legal parentage. For unmarried parents, an alleged father doesn’t automatically have legal status as a parent merely because he is the biological father. The appropriate path depends on whether parentage is agreed upon, disputed, or affected by a presumed father.

Paternity can be established in several ways:

• Acknowledgment of Paternity: A voluntary Acknowledgment of Paternity is a legal document completed through an AOP-certified entity. When properly filed, it has the effect of a court adjudication of paternity. A signatory may generally rescind an acknowledgment before the earlier of the 60th day after it becomes effective or the start of a qualifying court proceeding. After the rescission deadline, an acknowledgment may be challenged only under limited circumstances.
• Filing a Paternity Action for Genetic Testing: A parent or alleged father can ask the court to adjudicate parentage. When paternity is disputed or denied, the court may order genetic testing to determine whether a man is the child’s genetic father.
• Court Adjudication: A court adjudication is a judicial determination of parentage. The resulting order can address legal parentage and may be connected to child custody, possession and access, child support, or medical support.
• Presumption and Denial of Paternity: Texas law can recognize a presumed father, including a man married to the mother in circumstances described by law or a man who continuously resided in the household where the child lived and represented to others that the child was his own during the first two years of the child’s life. A valid denial of paternity may need to be filed with a valid acknowledgment from another man before a presumed father’s legal status changes.

Choosing between a voluntary filing and court action can be difficult when documents have already been signed, parentage is contested, or another man may be a presumed father. Our paternity attorneys provide customized legal counsel and can help parents understand the legal options involved in their case.

Benefits of Establishing Paternity

Establishing paternity can define the legal relationship between a child and a parent. The practical effects depend on the documents filed, genetic-testing results, the presence of a presumed father, and any court orders entered in the case.

• Father-Child Relationship: Legal parentage can allow a father to seek court orders concerning conservatorship, possession and access, and other parental rights and duties.
• Financial: A court may address child support and medical support. A legal parent-child relationship can also affect inheritance and eligibility for certain benefits.
• Medical: Establishing parentage can provide access to family medical history that may be relevant to the child’s care.

We understand that paternity issues often involve sensitive family circumstances and closely connected legal questions. Founded by Mr. Sanjay Mathur on the belief that every client deserves top-tier representation, our firm provides strategic guidance tailored to each client’s concerns, goals, and circumstances.

Discuss Your Paternity Case with Our Dallas Attorneys

A consultation with our paternity lawyers can help you identify the relevant legal pathway and understand how parentage may connect with custody, visitation, child support, or other family-law concerns. We provide personal attention to parents seeking to establish, challenge, or clarify legal paternity.

Contact Mathur Law Offices, P.C. or call (888) 867-5191 to schedule a consultation.