Establishing Paternity in Austin, TX
As a father involved in a divorce, it may feel like you are being discriminated against because of traditional parental roles. Courts tend to favor mother’s in custody cases and fathers tend to get the short end of the deal. In a divorce proceeding, it is vitally important that you establish your paternity with your children. Without legal recognition that you are the biological father of your child, you may lose all rights to your children. It is imperative that if you were never married to the mother of your children, or that if your name was never established on a birth certificate, that you work to obtain legal and biological paternity. By establishing that you are the father of your children, you will be able to have legal rights to their lives.
Many studies have shown that having both parents in a child’s life is highly beneficial to their growth, happiness and well-being. When it is established that you are the legal father of your children, you will be able to have much more legal leverage on your side. By working with our firm, you will receive the aggressive representation of committed family law attorney who is not afraid to take your case to court. Menduni Martindill, PLLC will help you dispute your custody and fight for your visitation and support. Our team will also help fight parental alienation and ensure that you can remain as involved in your child’s life as you deserve to be.
Fathers’ Rights and Mistaken Paternity
Mistaken paternity occurs when a child’s legal father discovers that he is not the child’s genetic father. Under certain circumstances, mistaken fathers can file a petition for the court to terminate their parental rights. If the court decides to terminate his rights as a father, he will no longer be obligated to pay future child support. Additionally, he will not have visitation rights. In order to terminate your parental rights, you must be able to establish the fact that you are not the child’s legal father and that you were named the child’s legal father by mistake.
For example: you may be allowed to terminate your fathers’ rights if you signed an Acknowledgement of Paternity form without genetic testing because you assumed that you were the child’s biological parent. You may also submit a petition to end your parent rights if a Texas judge named you as the child’s father without genetic testing and you did not contest the judge’s decision because you thought the child was yours. Mistaken paternity can also occur if the child’s mother or someone else’ mistakenly leads you to believe that you are the child’s genetic father.
Before you file a petition to termination you rights as a father, remember this: Your decision is permanent. Once the court revokes you rights as the child’s father, you cannot re-obtain them. If you do not terminate you rights, you will remain the child’s legal father. In Texas, you must file your petition within one year of discovering that you are not the child’s father. Before you decide to terminate your rights as a father, speak with the Austin family law attorney from Menduni Martindill, PLLC. Our powerhouse team of lawyers can help you understand your legal rights and options during a father’s rights or mistaken paternity case.
Menduni Martindill, PLLC – Fighting for Your Rights
It is highly important that you remain within your child’s life, we understand that. We are ready to fight for you against the discriminatory system and traditions of favoring a maternal custody settlement when you have every right to be involved in your child’s life. By working with our team, we will aggressively fight for your rights and help you maintain the contact and interaction that is so vital to a healthy and happy father/child relationship. If you have questions or concerns about your case and how working with the dedicated Menduni Martindill, PLLC can help your case, contact the firm now to speak with an Austin family law attorney.