Paternity Lawyer Long Beach

Paternity actions involve parents who were not married to each other at the time the child was born. A child who is born to unmarried parents do not automatically have a legally recognized father. Many people erroneously believe that just because a man's name appears on a birth certificate, that he is automatically and legally recognized as the father. There are only two ways in which a man who is not married to the child's mother at the time of the child's birth, can be legally recognized as the child's father and are as follows:

1. Voluntarily signing a Declaration of Paternity;
2. Obtaining a Court Order in an action to Establish a Parental Relationship (also known as a Paternity action).

Until a man has either voluntarily signed a Declaration of Paternity or has been established to be the child's father by a court order, the man has no legal right to the child. Therefore, if you are seeking to establish paternity, we can help you in obtaining your rights and responsibilities to the child. If you are father of the child, the sooner that you either voluntarily establish paternity or file a paternity action, the quicker you will establish your rights to custody and visitation with the child. If you are the mother of the child, you may want to establish paternity in order to help you seek child support so that you will not bear the burden of raising the child without financial support.

Establishing paternity for a child is very important. Once paternity has been established, the father has the right to share in the responsibilities and care for the minor child. This includes legal and physical custody instituting a continuity of a relationship between the father and child. Father may then enjoy the same rights and responsibilities as the child's mother.

Some of the legal rights and privileges include:

1. The child receives financial support from both parents;
2. Both parents are identified in all legal documents regarding the child;
3. The child's birth certificate include both parents name;
4. Documentation of both parent's family medical history and records;
5. The child will have life insurance and health coverage from both parents;
6. The child will have the right of inheritance from both parents; and
7. The child will have the right to receive social security and veteran's benefits from either parent, if available.

Here at Fizer Law, we provide personalized representation to clients for all paternity matters. A professional and experienced attorney will listen to the facts of your case and provide honest advice about your legal options. The attorney will guide you through the entire process from DNA testing, establishing child support, custody, visitation and other parental rights. Whether you seek to establish paternity or challenge it, you should hire an experienced attorney to represent you.

Call (562) 270-9944 today to Know more about our Paternity services.