Paternity and Parentage ● Irvine and Inland Empire, California, Lawyers

We are focused exclusively on the practice of family law. As proud members of Kring & Chung, L.L.P., we handle paternity issues for clients throughout Orange County, California.

We can help you answer your paternity questions and decide how to proceed. To schedule an initial consultation with our firm, call (949) 467-9147 or contact our office online today.

Everyone Benefits by Establishing Paternity

Without establishing paternity, the child's father has no rights and no obligations toward the child. That means he does not have paternal rights such as custody and visitation, or the right to protest in case the mother wishes to move far away. For the mother, there is no basis for establishing child support payments without establishing paternity first.

In addition, there can be significant emotional, psychological and medical benefits to establishing paternity. Doctors may need to be able to access the father's medical records to screen for potential genetic diseases. And there is no way to quantify the importance of a child knowing the identity of his or her father, or having both parents attend parent-teacher night at school.

Who Needs to Establish Paternity?

Whenever a child is born to a married couple, the state assumes that the mother's husband is also the child's father. As a result, you typically only need to establish paternity for a child that was born out of wedlock. This can be done either through genetic testing or by having the father sign a voluntary Acknowledgment of Paternity form.

If you would like to discuss your rights and options pertaining to paternity, you can call (949) 467-9147 or contact our office any time to schedule an initial consultation.