Riverside Paternity Lawyer

One of the most commonly overlooked areas of family law is paternity, or the determination of a child’s biological father. Paternity can be a major concern for both mothers and fathers, and there is a legal process for establishing a child’s paternity that all parents should know. In some cases, it may be necessary to establish paternity for a father to secure his custody rights. In other cases, mothers may need to file court orders for paternity to secure child support from their child’s biological father. If you anticipate any paternity-related disputes regarding your child or alleged child in the near future, you need a Riverside paternity lawyer you can trust to assist you.

At the Law Offices of Kathleen G. Alvarado, we understand the gravity of paternity-related legal issues and strive to help our clients navigate these matters in the most streamlined manner possible. You can rely on our team to provide comprehensive and compassionate legal representation through your paternity case. We can also assist you with any related family law matters that arise. If you face any paternity issues in California, an affordable divorce attorney in Riverside can be your best asset.

Generally, paternity is legally established in three possible ways:

1. Declaration of Paternity. If a child’s father is present at the child’s birth, he can sign a Declaration of Paternity. An unmarried father must sign a Declaration of Paternity if he wants his name added to the child’s birth certificate.
2. Affidavit of Paternity. If a child’s father is not present at the child’s birth, he must complete and sign an Affidavit of Paternity to have the child’s birth certificate amended.
3. Involuntary Paternity. It is possible to establish paternity without the father’s consent via a Complaint to Establish Parental Rights. If a mother files a paternity suit against an alleged father to secure child support, the court will likely require the alleged father to submit a DNA sample for paternity testing.

It is important to understand that establishing paternity is important for a child, their mother, and their alleged father. It is generally best to establish paternity as soon as possible. This will ensure the father has his fair share of parental rights and that the mother will have child support if the father does not assume a custodial role over the child. Establishing paternity also provides peace of mind to the child as they grow up because they will have no doubts about who their biological father is.

Paternity is most likely to arise as a legal issue in child support determination. An alleged father should understand the importance of proving paternity before they start paying child support to their alleged child’s mother, even if they are married. Ultimately, if you are an alleged father of a child and have reason to suspect that you are not the child’s father, you should work quickly to secure a court-ordered paternity test.

It is unfortunately common for fathers paying child support and even raising their children to discover later that they are, in fact, not the fathers of their children. If a father suspects he is not the biological father of his children, court-ordered paternity tests can provide the truth of the matter. If the alleged father is paying child support for a child who is proven not to be his, a Riverside paternity lawyer could potentially help him recover child support funds that he previously paid to the child’s mother under false pretenses.

When you work with an experienced Riverside paternity lawyer, they will guide you through the various phases of your paternity case. The team at the Law Offices of Kathleen G. Alvarado can assist you with paternity disputes and provide legal representation for related family law matters such as child custody determination and child support disputes.

Regardless of whether you are seeking a paternity test or are compelled to submit to a paternity test, your attorney will ensure the process unfolds in alignment with California family law statutes. They will help you prepare for your paternity test and verify that the DNA sample is handled appropriately by the lab responsible for testing.

Since most paternity disputes are related to child support and child custody disputes, you should expect your Riverside paternity lawyer to provide legal counsel through the other issues related to your paternity case. One such example of a serious issue that might arise out of a paternity case is an allegation of paternity fraud. If a child’s mother knowingly and willingly assigns paternity to an alleged father when she knows the child’s father is someone else, a paternity suit can potentially disprove this allegation. Unfortunately, the truth may not come out until many years after the alleged father has already paid child support to the child in question. A paternity fraud case like this would entitle the alleged father to civil damages, including repayment of the child support he paid as well as emotional distress.