Your Rights as an Unmarried Parent in California
California law gives every parent, whether married or not, the right to frequent and continuing contact with his or her child. Time with your child is not dependent upon paying child support, though the law does place a responsibility upon each parent to provide financially for a child.
If you believe you are the father of a child, and you want to legally seek parenting time with that child, the Law Office of Thomas P. Hogan can help you secure your rights by establishing paternity. You can establish paternity in two ways:
- Through a DNA test
- With a paternity declaration in which you state in a legal document that you are the father of a child
Once you have made a paternity declaration, if it is later found that you are not the biological father, you will still remain the legal father. You retain your rights to custody or visitation, and you retain the responsibility to pay support for the child.
If you are the mother of a child for whom you wish to establish parentage, attorney Hogan will file a "Petition to Establish a Parental Relationship" with the court. If there is a question of whether parentage exists between a father and a child, DNA tests will be taken of the child and alleged father.
Custody and Support
Once paternity has been established, the father may seek parenting time with the child. The parent with the greatest amount of parenting time may seek child support. While grandparents have limited rights in California, the establishment of paternity may allow grandparents to seek the right to visitation.
If you have questions about paternity or the rights of fathers under California family law, family lawyer Thomas Hogan can assist you.
Free Half-Hour Consultation • Convenient Location
For a free half-hour consultation, contact the Law Office of Thomas P. Hogan, or call 209-409-3103. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Evening and weekend appointments are available upon request. The firm's offices are conveniently located in downtown Modesto, California, just off Highway 99.
Credit Cards Accepted | Spanish Language Services Available
