Paternity Lawyers

Whatever you’re going through, we’re here to help you get through it.

Our Paternity Lawyer Services in California

The California family code can be complex to navigate, especially when legal parental rights are involved. We understand the nuances and importance of establishing paternity, an important legal foundation for fathers’ rights cases. 

Next Legal’s paternity lawyers provide strategic advocacy, driven by a resolution-focused approach, rooted in experience and legal expertise.

Parentage cases need to be handled quickly and efficiently so that the client obtains an early resolution of the paternity issue and can move forward toward securing custody and child support orders. Our father’s rights attorneys in San Francisco and Silicon Valley recognize the need for expedited handling of these cases and have the experience to obtain prompt and efficient court rulings on parentage.

Whether you need to challenge a paternity claim, secure visitation rights, or modify child support orders, our experienced attorneys protect your rights as a parent. We keep your child’s best interests in mind and provide you with legal support every step of the way.

Here’s what you can expect from Next Legal’s paternity lawyers

  • Robust advocacy and legal support for fathers’ rights

  • Strategic guidance for establishing legal paternity

  • Top-notch representation in mediation, negotiation and litigation

  • Compassionate, discreet and experienced approach

  • Professional assistance for accurate child support calculations, child custody, visitation rights, and parenting arrangements

  • Clear understanding of legal rights, obligations and legal options

  • Result-oriented, empathy-led attorneys for fathers

Contact Us For a Consultation

Our Family Law Services

Next Legal’s top-rated family law attorneys combine legal expertise, local knowledge of specific court procedures and judicial nuances with a steadfast commitment to resolution-focused strategies. 

Work With Us

Understanding Child Custody Issues with a Father's Rights Attorney

California maintains a gender-neutral approach to matters of custody, where the child’s well-being is central to all legal decision-making. However, when an unmarried parent requests a custody order or child support, he or she must prove parentage. Paternity may also be an issue between married spouses when one or both spouses are uncertain about the child's parentage. 

In these situations, parentage may be established through a declaration of paternity signed by both parents (often at the hospital where the child was delivered) or a parentage action in family court. This is crucial, as the absence of a formal establishment of parentage can present challenges for a father in court. These include limitations on parenting time, visitation and custody rights and obstacles in fully participating in key decisions about the child’s future.

As a leading fathers' rights law firm, our legal team of experienced attorneys focuses on fair resolutions that support the long-term stability of the parent-child relationship.

What Rights Does an Unmarried Father Have in California?

Unmarried mothers are granted the legal and physical custody of a child at birth, whereas unmarried fathers do not share the same rights until paternity is legally established. For instance, in a parentage case, the court may apply one of several presumptions under the law. 

Paternity will be presumed when the putative father was married to the child's mother at the time of conception or birth; when he married the mother after the birth and agreed to have his name on the birth certificate or to support the child; or he openly acted as if the child was his own.

In the case of an unmarried father, he can have the same rights as a married or divorced father once paternity is established legally in court. At Next Legal, our fathers’ rights attorneys provide robust legal support to help move unmarried dads from a putative status to a legal status.

Does Paternity Play A Role in Fathers' Rights?

Yes, paternity plays a key role in a father’s rights, as it's a legal prerequisite for visitation orders, custody schedules, etc. Even a biological father can be legally considered a stranger to the child without a voluntary declaration of parentage signed at a hospital or court. Establishing parentage not only gives rights to the father but also requires him to fulfil legal and financial obligations. 

Next Legal’s fathers' rights lawyers advocate for dads at every step of the process. This allows fathers to build meaningful relationships with their children while protecting their rights and supporting fairer child support outcomes.

These are some of the rights that an unmarried father can have once paternity is established

  • The right to seek legal or physical custody

  • Visitation rights and parenting time

  • Participation in key decisions surrounding the child’s future and well-being

  • The right to access the child’s records, be it medical, educational or other important documents

  • The right to challenge relocation orders and seek court approval

  • Modification of child support or custody orders

  • The right to participate in any court proceedings involving the child

Work With Us

How Can a Father's Rights Lawyer Help?

At Next Legal, our fathers' rights attorneys understand that the system can come across as biased and requires a nuanced approach. This includes providing strategic legal responses to protect your rights and reputation while supporting your role as a competent parent.

Our lawyers for dads' rights handle all the requisite paperwork, providing you with robust legal support alongside remedial steps you can take to ensure all legal challenges are addressed. Whether it's structuring favorable child support agreements, tackling false allegations of domestic violence or substance abuse, advocating for custody or parenting time, you can count on us for reliable support.

What our Clients are Saying

  • They made me feel like part of their family, safeguarded and supported at every step.

    I have complete faith in their guidance, and thanks to them, I have achieved remarkable victories. My children are now with me after enduring difficult times when I could only see them for a few hours per month, while their father, who was subjecting them to physical and emotional abuse, had custody.

    Erika Rendon

  • Definitely use this law firm!

    My attorney and her team helped me secure one half of a financial profit from a house sale that was legally mine. My separated husband refused to give me this money after leaving me and I needed it to protect myself and my child financially.

    Sabrina Hunter

How Can I Establish Paternity in California?

The state of California offers fathers two pathways to establish paternity. The first involves a father and mother signing a voluntary declaration of parentage at the hospital where the child is born. This can also be done later at the local child support agency, registrar of births, court facilitator or welfare offices. 

However, it comes into effect only when it is to be filed with the Department of Child Support Services Parentage Opportunity Program and carries the same weight as a court judgment. The second pathway involves filing a petition called a paternity action. Here, if the mother contests a paternity claim, the father can request a court-ordered DNA test to confirm paternity. 

Our experienced paternity lawyers ensure that this process is handled properly with the sensitivity it deserves. It also allows us to prepare for secondary orders such as child custody and visitation rights once paternity is established.

Do Fathers Have a Right to Receive Child Support?

Child support calculations in California are influenced by several factors. This includes the income of both parents, time spent with the child, the degree of involvement in the child’s day-to-day life, childcare needs and health insurance. Courts prioritize maintaining a similar standard of living in the household of both parents.

In cases where fathers have primary custody of the child, or there’s an income disparity where the mother earns more than the father, fathers can receive child support. Our father custody lawyers ensure accurate income assessments are used for guideline calculations, allowing fathers to receive rightful financial support to secure the best possible outcomes for their child.

Next Legal’s top-rated paternity lawyers combine legal expertise, local knowledge of specific court procedures and judicial nuances with a steadfast commitment to resolution-focused strategies. Our proactive approach and decades of courtroom experience have allowed us to gain critical insight into probable fathers' rights outcomes.

Our local expertise with the Californian court system has helped us provide our clients with realistic advice and design settlements that judges are more likely to approve. This saves our clients time, money and frustration while reducing conflict and creating durable outcomes.

We understand parentage issues are complex, emotionally charged and tough to navigate. At Next Legal, we provide strategic paternity lawyer support at every step of this journey, assuring you of empathy-driven counsel, keeping you and your child’s best interests in mind.

Our offices are based in San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Los Angeles and Newport Beach. For empathy-driven legal counsel that focuses on what’s best for you, book a consultation with us today.

Why Choose Next Legal?

  • Led by Paul Donsbach, the Next Legal team of top-rated attorneys for fathers has a proven track record of successful, mutually beneficial outcomes for paternity cases in California. Our proactive, empathetic approach is shaped by decades of courtroom experience and resolution-focused strategies, helping fathers navigate complex parentage issues with greater confidence.

    We believe transparency and clear communication are the cornerstones of effective mediation and negotiation in paternity cases and play a vital role in attorney-client relationships. Our initial legal consultation is designed to offer you clarity, where we recommend the best possible pathway for your situation. You can expect discretion, legal expertise, consistent communication and compassionate support every step of the way.

  • In the state of California, fathers do not have any legal rights before a child is born. You have legal rights after paternity is established through the signing of a voluntary declaration of parentage or by requesting a court-ordered DNA test. However, there are exceptions where rights and obligations may come from the marital presumption of parentage (for married fathers) and from pre‑birth conduct. The key legal threshold is the child’s birth plus the establishment of legal parentage.

  • Yes. You can modify child support orders provided there’s a substantial change of circumstances, such as loss of employment, changes in income or a shift in the child’s custody or visitation schedules.

  • California laws on child support are gender neutral and focus on the child’s well-being. However, fathers are entitled to child support if there’s an income disparity, such as the mother earning more, or due to a father holding primary custody of the child.

  • Our experienced attorneys for fathers can guide and help prepare you for child custody. Preparing detailed and well-documented parenting logs can go a long way in convincing the court that you and your household are child-ready and can participate fully and responsibly in co-parenting arrangements.

  • Co-parenting arrangements are often guided by a child’s age, and courts often favor short and frequent visits for younger children to ensure consistent bonding with both parents. For older children, you can consider a weekly rotation between both parents.

Paternity and fathers’ rights matters often raise important questions around legal parentage, custody, and child support. Below, we address some of the most common questions we receive from fathers seeking clarity on their rights and responsibilities under California law.

FAQs

Disclaimer and Legal Notice

Laws evolve constantly, and past results do not always guarantee future outcomes. The information we’ve shared does not constitute formal legal advice, and we highly recommend booking a legal consultation with one of our experienced fathers' rights attorney in California.

Locations