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Dad happily holding daughter on his shoulders. If you need help modifying a child custody order in Houston, our lawyers can help you reach the outcome you deserve. Contact us now.Sugar Land Father’s Rights Lawyer

A relationship between a child and their father is crucial to children’s growth and development. In situations where tensions run high between parents, a father’s rights can be unfairly impinged upon, which can severely impact the relationship between a father and their child.

Skillern Firm’s father’s rights lawyers work tirelessly to support fathers of Sugar Land, TX, with their family legal issues and father’s rights, child custody, and visitation.

We understand the importance of fathers in children’s lives and we empathize with any parent who has to fight for their rights to their family. Skillern Firm’s father’s rights attorneys are highly skilled in family law and will fight passionately to ensure the best outcome for you and your family.

Contact us today at 936-213-8479 to discuss your options with an experienced father’s rights lawyer.

Father’s Rights In Sugar Land, TX

If you are legally recognized as the father of a child, then you have parental rights under Texas family law. The importance of both parents in children’s lives is recognized in the law and fathers have rights to custody, conservatorship, and visitation.

For unmarried parents, the biological father does not have any legal rights to his child until paternity is formally established.

If your rights as a father are threatened, either because of a lack of legal paternity or any other reason, a father’s rights lawyer can help you to defend your rights and remain in your children’s lives. 

Who Is Considered A Father In Texas?

Paternity is the legal terminology for fatherhood in Texas. In some situations, paternity is assumed when a child is born. As outlined in The Texas Family Code, paternity is assumed when a child is born to a married couple or born less than 301 days after the end of the marriage.

If a child is born before a couple is married, then paternity is assumed if:

  • The father is named on the birth certificate
  • The father voluntarily declares his paternity and files a record with the Texas bureau of vital statistics
  • On written record, the father promises to support the child as his own

If a child is born to a couple that never marries, paternity is presumed when:

  • The father expresses the child as his own to others 
  • The father lived in the same household with the child continuously for the first two years of their life

In situations where paternity is not assumed, to be entitled to parental rights, a father will need to establish paternity legally.

Establishing Paternity In Texas

In Texas, there are two ways for a biological father who is not legally recognized as the father to establish paternity. To establish paternity, a father must file an acknowledgment of paternity form or undergo a DNA paternity test.

A paternity test is often court-ordered if there is a disagreement or for further clarification regarding paternity. DNA paternity tests can determine whether an alleged father is the biological father of a child with 99% accuracy. If a paternity test proves that you are the father of a child, the Attorney General will finalize your paternity order and legally recognize you as the father.

Acknowledgment Of Paternity

An acknowledgment of paternity (AOP) is a legal document that allows parents to legally establish paternity where it is not assumed, for example, when parents are not married and do not fit the criteria outlined in The Texas Family Code.

To file an AOP, both parents need to work with an AOP-certified entity that the Attorney General has trained. Your family lawyer can guide you through this process if you are looking to establish legal paternity in Sugar Land, TX.

Can My Child’s Mother Withhold Visitation Rights?

Texas law considers visitation and time with both parents to be in a child’s best interest. Visitation is agreed upon through a court order and any denial of these rights is potential contempt of court.

If you are a father and your child’s parent withholds visitation to your children, seek legal advice as quickly as possible. Your rights should not be leveraged and the child’s best interests should be prioritized above all else. An experienced father’s rights lawyer will defend your rights and ensure that you are not unfairly treated.

Find Your Father’s Rights Attorney Today

If you find yourself in a situation where your child’s parent is not respecting your rights as a father, Skillern Firm can help you.

Our expert father’s rights lawyers can negotiate with the other parent to reinstate your parental rights, and where necessary, they will use the power of the law to support this. 

Contact a Skillern Firm father’s rights attorney in Sugar Land today at 936-213-8479.