Paternity Lawyer In Upland

Helping with Paternity Cases in California

A paternity action allows the court to determine the parentage of a child. Parentage can be determined in several different ways, including via DNA testing. Under certain circumstances, the court can order both parties and the child to submit to paternity testing by DNA. In other circumstances, you may have previously signed a voluntary declaration of paternity and want to rescind it.

Once parentage is established, both parents enjoy all the many rights and responsibilities of parenthood. These rights include access to and input regarding child custody, visitation, and support of the child. In addition, the child acquires the right to inherit from you. If the parents are unable to resolve these issues, the court may make any or all of these decisions for them.

Paternity actions may also arise if the county's Department of Child Support Services files a court action regarding your child and seeks to establish paternity and / or obtain child support for the custodial parent. In these types of cases, the county may seek repayment for public assistance expended on behalf of your child.

Is California a mother state?

In California and many other states, custody rights automatically fall to the mother when a child is born to unmarried parents. She will have full legal rights to decide where the child lives, where they go to school, what doctor they see, and who is allowed to see the child.

For an unmarried father, this can cause many difficulties when trying to be a part of their child's life. In these situations, if the father does not sign a voluntary declaration of paternity, a DNA test will have to be ordered by the court first to establish paternity. Once paternity is established, the unmarried father must petition the court for custody rights. If you are trying to establish paternity in California, you need an experienced paternity attorney by your side to help navigate this difficult time.

Need a lawyer to establish paternity in Upland, CA?

The experienced Upland paternity attorney at the Law Offices of Heidi H. Romeo, APLC maintains a goal to prepare and complete each case so that the client is in a position to move forward with life once it has been resolved. She works tirelessly to protect clients' long-term interests. With experience in representing clients throughout the Inland Empire in contested paternity hearings and trials, the attorney at the Law Offices of Heidi H. Romeo, APLC is prepared to help you with whatever legal dilemma you may face surrounding the paternity of a child.