Paternity

Santa Clarita Valley Divorce Lawyers and Family Law Attorneys

Law Offices Of Cathleen E. Norton

Santa Clarita Valley Paternity and divorce lawyers

Paternity or parentage action is a legal proceeding in which a man is officially deemed to be the father of a minor child. It refers to the legal establishment of who is the father of a child. While the identity of a child’s biological mother is usually by nature easy to establish, the father’s identity may in some cases be uncertain. California paternity law involves the legal recognition of a child’s biological father, typically established through genetic testing.

There are variety of reasons for establishing paternity/parentage of a child. Substantiating who the father of a child is can aid in determining visitation rights and custody issues as well as financial obligations, and the legal rights and privileges for paternity are:

  • Financial support from both parents;
  • Legal documentation identifying both parents;
  • Having the names of both parents on the child’s birth certificate;
  • Access to family medical records and history;
  • Health and life insurance coverage from either parent;
  • The right to inherit from either parent; and
  • The right to receive social security and veteran’s benefits, if available

If you are facing the parentage action, whether you need to have visitation rights or you are required to pay child support, contact our Paternity lawyers at Santa Clarita Valley, California Law Offices of Cathleen E. Norton at (310) 300-4021.

In California, a paternity action begins with the filing of a petition or a complaint (often referred to as a Complaint to Establish Paternity or a suit affecting a parent child relationship). A petition should set out why the party believes a particular man is the father of the child as the subject of the suit. Some states have enacted laws to create presumptions regarding paternity. Presumptions are assumptions the law makes regarding relationships.

At the Law Offices of Cathleen E. Norton, we have the experiences and skills to efficiently and professionally handle matters of paternity. To learn more about how we can help you with your parentage cases, (310) 300-4021.