Paternity

Paternity is the legal identification of a father; it gives the father rights to the child, and also provides the mother confirmation of a legal responsibility owed to the child by the father. Paternity issues can be highly contested matters; these actions can be brought by a man claiming to be the father of a child, the child’s mother, a governmental agency, or the child him/herself. Getting genetic testing ordered by a court does require that correct legal procedures are followed.

Further, issues can get even more complicated when paternity of a child born during a marriage is contested by the husband. Recent changes in the law have lengthened the time a presumed, alleged, or deemed father has to contest paternity. Texas provides for several legal “definitions” of “father,” and complications can arise, depending on when a claim of paternity is made and the timing of the child’s birth. In Texas, children born during a marriage are presumed to be the children of the spouses. Proving that someone other than the husband is the father can be stressful.

We have represented both mothers and fathers seeking the truth regarding their children’s paternity, and understand that this process can be emotional for all parties, especially the children.