Unmarried parents who have a child have the same parental rights as married parents who have children; however, paternity must be established to ensure those legal rights. Regardless of marital status, both parents have the right to parent their children and be involved in their children’s lives. Who can file a suit for paternity? A mother seeking to establish the legal father, a father seeking to establish his own parentage of a child who was not married to the mother at the time of the child’s birth, and certain governmental entities. If the parties to the suit do not agree on the father’s paternity, blood tests may be ordered by the Court. With positive results establishing paternity, the Court can then make determinations of child custody and child support.

Whether you are a mother seeking to establish paternity of the father or a father seeking to establish a legal
relationship with your child, the experienced attorneys at Cleaves Law Firm can guide you through this issue.

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The Cleaves Law Firm offers full-service legal counsel and representation in family law matters for clients in the vicinity of Grapevine, Texas including communities such as Southlake, Colleyville, Hurst, Euless, Coppell, Flower Mound, Bedford, Keller, Roanoke, Arlington, Dallas, Fort Worth, Westlake, McKinney, Frisco, Irving, and Denton. We serve the following counties as well - Tarrant County, Dallas County, Collin County and Denton County.