Dallas Father’s Rights Attorney
Understanding, asserting, and safeguarding your rights as a father is crucial for you and your child. Your child stands to gain emotional support from your consistent presence and the financial support necessary for a more comfortable life.
At Burns Iwuji, PLLC, we are deeply committed to aiding fathers in establishing their paternal rights and fostering a healthy, functional relationship with their children. Whether you are unmarried to your child’s mother or have recently divorced your spouse and seek to protect your rights regarding visitation and care, our Dallas father’s rights attorney is well-equipped to address your specific concerns.
We will accompany you every step of the legal process to expedite your legal recognition as your child’s father. Subsequently, we will guide you through the associated responsibilities, ensuring that your child can enjoy the benefits of having both active parents.
Conversely, if your situation calls for contesting paternity, our lawyers possess the skill and experience to navigate the legal procedures required to establish that the child is not biologically yours.
Call Burns Iwuji, PLLC today at (469) 213-3316 for your Free Case Evaluation with a Dallas Father’s Rights lawyer!
Establishing Father’s Rights
Establishing paternity is crucial, and the process can vary depending on the circumstances. If you and the child’s mother agree to your biological fatherhood, you can voluntarily establish paternity under the Texas Uniform Parentage Act. This involves signing an “Acknowledgment of Paternity” and submitting it to the Texas Vital Statistics Unit.
However, the process becomes more intricate when unmarried parents are not on amicable terms and the mother disputes your paternity. You must initiate a paternity case and request the court for DNA testing in such cases. When one parent is reluctant to establish paternity, this triggers a legal procedure resulting in a “parentage adjudication order,” essentially an involuntary establishment of paternity.
Once paternity is legally established, the court will address various child-related matters, including child custody, child support, and visitation rights. We highly recommend partnering with our accomplished Dallas father’s rights attorney to ensure a swift and equitable legal process. They will diligently work to secure the most advantageous outcome for you and your child.
The Importance of Legally Protecting Your Relationship
A mother and a father play pivotal roles in a child’s holistic development. It’s essential for your benefit and nurturing a strong bond with your child, which positively influences their growth. Your presence and support contribute significantly to your child’s well-being.
At Burns Iwuji, PLLC, our family lawyers are staunch advocates for your rights as a father. We are committed to helping you establish your paternity, secure shared custody, and ensure fair visitation hours. Our team will handle all necessary court documentation and provide representation during hearings and negotiations.
Ultimately, we aim to facilitate the best parent-child relationship, even when you don’t reside together. Upon successfully recognizing your rights as a father by the court, you can exercise these rights, fulfill your paternal responsibilities, and foster a deeper connection with your child. This can be achieved even if the child’s mother has reservations about allowing you to connect with your child.
Divorced Father’s Rights
Child custody is a pivotal aspect that needs resolution during divorce proceedings. In Texas, it’s important to note that custody isn’t automatically awarded to the mother. As outlined in the Texas Family Code since 1987, the state prioritizes maintaining regular and ongoing contact between children and both parents, provided it aligns with the children’s best interests.
At Burns Iwuji, PLLC, we recognize your paternal presence’s profound impact on your child’s emotional, mental, and physical well-being. While the end of a marriage can be challenging, it doesn’t necessarily mean the end of a meaningful father-child relationship.
Our Dallas father’s rights lawyers bring 19 years of legal experience to safeguard your rights regarding visitation and involvement in decisions concerning your children’s lives. We handle various legal aspects crucial to your child’s welfare, including child custody, time-sharing arrangements, and determining the amount and duration of child support. Rest assured, all matters related to your child’s well-being will be efficiently addressed.
Contesting Established Paternity
In cases concerning fathers’ rights in Dallas, TX, not everyone seeks to establish their paternity; some find themselves in situations where they wish to contest their existing paternity and terminate their legal responsibilities to a child they believe isn’t biologically theirs. If this situation applies to you, a court-ordered paternity test is necessary to prove you’re not the child’s biological father.
Under the new paternity law in Texas, men obligated to pay child support have the right to request genetic testing to confirm their biological relationship with the child they are supporting. This option is particularly beneficial if men initially acknowledged paternity or did not contest it due to misrepresentations or misunderstandings. If the test demonstrates no biological connection between you and the child, the court will formally relieve you of all legal parental responsibilities.
Even if your case appears complex and challenging, rest assured that our experienced family lawyers at Burns Iwuji, PLLC have a wealth of experience in resolving a wide range of father rights issues, including situations involving the termination of previously recognized paternity.
Let’s Talk Now – Free Case Evaluation
The relationship between a child and their parents is of utmost importance, profoundly affecting their emotional, mental, and physical well-being. As a father, maintaining a meaningful bond with your child is beneficial for your health and equally crucial for your child’s overall development and happiness.
Whether your child was born out of wedlock or is facing separated parents due to divorce, it’s essential to safeguard your rights as a father to ensure the best possible life for your child. We offer comprehensive assistance in all matters related to paternity, including time-sharing arrangements, visitation schedules, and child support.
Conversely, suppose you are in a situation where you wish to contest your paternity. In that case, our legal team is prepared to initiate the legal process and manage all necessary steps to determine definitively whether you are the child’s biological father or not.
Call Burns Iwuji, PLLC today at (469) 213-3316 for your Free Case Evaluation with a Dallas Father’s Rights lawyer.