Sacramento Paternity Lawyers Committed to Protecting Your Rights
What is a Paternity Case?
A paternity case and a parentage action are two different terms for the same type of family law case. A paternity or parentage action occurs when unmarried parents have a child. This initial purpose of a paternity action is to ask the court to formally name the parents of a child. Either parent can bring a parentage action, or, the action may be filed by the Department of Child Support Services (DCSS). DCSS typically gets involved in cases where one parent is utilizing state resources, such as Medi-Cal, Women Infants and Children (WIC) or CalFresh, and the other parent is financially able to help, but is not doing so.
Paternity Issues
The main issues that arise in paternity actions are child custody, visitation, and child support. Our office can help answer questions such as how to determine whether the child is yours or how to initiate contact with your child even if the other parent did not list you as a parent on the child’s birth certificate.
Once an order on paternity is made, the parents have the ability to file for other orders, and, the child has the legal right to support and to inherit from a parent. If you were served with a Petition to Establish Parental Relationship it is important for you to contact an attorney right away.
If you intend to contest paternity you have a limited amount of time do so. Contact our office today for a consultation, with one of our experienced Folsom paternity attorneys, at (916) 631-1996.
Our Practice Areas