Dallas Paternity Action Attorneys
Helping You Pursue Paternity in Your Case
Filing a paternity action could either help an individual sue a father for child support or enable a father to receive paternal rights. Establishing paternity can help mothers receive the support they need to care for their child and ensure that fathers can build a lasting relationship with their child(ren).
At Verner Brumley Mueller Parker PC, our Dallas paternity action lawyers can help you progress your paternity case, representing you and defending your parental rights in and out of court.
To schedule a consultation with our team, contact us online or via phone at (214) 225-6766.
How Do Paternity Actions Work in Texas?
At the heart of every paternity case is determining the truth. Establishing paternity is extremely important in many aspects of family law. DNA testing has been proven to be more than 99% accurate in establishing or disproving parentage.
During paternity actions, the party filing for paternity works with the Texas Office of the Attorney General (OAG) to establish paternity. There are two primary ways to establish paternity in Texas:
- Obtaining a court-ordered DNA test. The alleged father will take the DNA test to determine whether they are the child's father, after which they may be added to the child's birth certificate (and the other parent may request child support if they act as the child's sole custodial parent).
- Obtaining an acknowledgment of paternity (AOP). Non-married biological parents can use an AOP to voluntarily establish paternity. The parties engaged in a paternity action must work with AOP-certified entities (as recognized by the OAG) to use an AOP to resolve a paternity action.
The OAG can also help fathers who believe they are involved in a case of mistaken paternity terminate their parental rights, removing them from paternal child support obligations they may have.
Alternatively, mothers sometimes accuse fathers of mistaken paternity during child custody cases. This can prevent a father from being involved in day-to-day decision-making for a child's medical and educational needs and could prohibit custody rights. We have helped many fathers prove their biological relationship with their children through paternity actions and DNA testing.
At Verner Brumley Mueller Parker PC, our Dallas paternity action lawyers understand how to help clients navigate paternity actions. We help mothers and fathers with:
- Establishing parentage to obtain child support
- Defending oneself against unwarranted claims for child support
- Seeking to prove parentage to establish parental rights
Our understanding of the Uniform Parentage Act and other state and federal laws allows us to provide strong representation to discover a child's parents.
To schedule a consultation with our team and receive the legal counsel you deserve, contact us online or via phone at (214) 225-6766.