Paternity Actions
Austin Paternity Actions Attorney
Parents have legal rights and responsibilities to their children — whether or not they are married. If you are an unmarried parent, you may want to seek child support from the child's father or — if you are the father — you may want to establish paternity of your child to set-up a visitation schedule with your child. Questions of paternity also come up if the child's mother remarries and her husband wants to adopt the child.
In any case where paternity is at issue, it is important to get legal advice from an experienced family law attorney. Attorney Linda Stanley, of Austin, Texas, has more than two decades of experience representing clients in all types of family law disputes. Ms. Stanley is a trained mediator as well as a lawyer, and our office is known for providing calm and practical legal advice and representation.
Establishing Paternity
In some cases, an unmarried father may agree to acknowledge paternity without a DNA test. Acknowledgement of paternity is a fairly straightforward legal process. Once paternity is acknowledged, however, the father has committed himself to having legal and financial responsibility for his child. For this reason, it is important to fully understand all the legal implications of signing an acknowledgement of paternity.
Linda Stanley, P.L.L.C.
Board Certified - Family Law
Texas Board of Legal Specialization
AV®-rated* under Martindale-Hubbell's peer review rating system
Licensed 1984 in Texas
Experienced mediator
Trained in collaborative law
Step-Parent Adoption/Termination of Parental Rights
Paternity issues also arise when the mother of a child marries another man who wants to adopt the child. This "step-parent adoption" can only take place if the biological father relinquishes his parental rights or if the father's parental rights are terminated by the court. Adoption and termination of parental rights cases can also be complex — perhaps the biological father cannot be found or refuses to cooperate. Linda Stanley can help you file your suit for termination and adoption and advise you about how best to accomplish your goal — adoption of the child.
Contact Linda Stanley, P.L.L.C.
If you have questions about paternity actions, termination of parental rights you're your rights to child support or visitation as an unmarried parent, we invite you to contact our offices to schedule a confidential consultation. Call 512-399-5718, or send us an e-mail.
* CV, BV, and AV are registered certification marks of Reed Elsevier Properties Inc., used in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards, and policies. Martindale-Hubbell is the facilitator of a peer review rating process. Ratings reflect the confidential opinions of members of the Bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell ratings fall into two categories - legal ability and general ethical standards.