Establishing Paternity In Weatherford, Texas

Establishing paternity protects both your rights as a father and your child’s future. When you are an unmarried parent, paternity does not happen automatically, you must take specific legal steps to establish it. Without legally established paternity, you have no legal rights to custody or visitation, and your child cannot access important benefits like inheritance rights, Social Security benefits or health insurance through you.

My name is attorney Anthony McNeill, and I help unmarried parents in Weatherford, Texas, establish paternity through legal means. At the McNeill Law Firm, I focus exclusively on family law and work to make the paternity process as straightforward and cost-effective as possible.

When You Need To Establish Paternity

You need to establish paternity in several common situations:

• When unmarried parents have a child together and want to establish the father’s legal rights
• When the father’s name does not appear on the birth certificate
• When either parent questions whether the man is the biological father
• When the father wants to seek custody, visitation or parental rights
• When the mother needs to establish child support obligations

Simply having your name on the birth certificate does not automatically establish legal paternity in Texas if you were not married when the child was born.

Ways To Establish Paternity In Texas

The simplest way to establish paternity involves both parents signing an Acknowledgement of Paternity (AOP) form at the hospital when the child is born, or later at the Texas Vital Statistics Unit. Once you file the signed AOP with the state, it establishes legal paternity.

When parents disagree about paternity, you need a court order. I file a paternity suit in family court, and the judge will order DNA testing if paternity is disputed. DNA testing provides scientific proof through simple cheek swabs, showing a probability of paternity greater than 99% when the man is the biological father.

Texas law allows you to establish paternity at any time before the child turns 18. However, you should establish paternity as early as possible to protect your rights.

Adding A Father To The Birth Certificate

Adding a father’s name to the birth certificate requires establishing legal paternity first. After you establish paternity through voluntary acknowledgment or court order, you can file paperwork with the Texas Vital Statistics Unit to amend the birth certificate. Remember that the legal establishment of paternity creates enforceable rights and responsibilities, the birth certificate alone does not give you parental rights.

What Happens After You Establish Paternity

Establishing paternity opens the door to other family law matters. Once paternity is legally established, either parent can seek court orders for child custody, visitation schedules and child support. The father gains the legal right to participate in important decisions about the child’s education, medical care and religious upbringing.

Protect Your Paternal Rights

Establishing paternity protects your rights as a father and ensures your child has access to important benefits and support. I make the paternity process straightforward and affordable, particularly when parents can work together on uncontested matters. Contact the McNeill Law Firm today at 817-381-9333 or send a message to discuss your paternity case. I serve clients throughout Weatherford, Texas, and the surrounding 45-mile radius.