Orange County Paternity Lawyer

The outcome of a paternity test often impacts the lives of an entire family. Every family and every circumstance is different and establishing paternity can quickly and forever change your life. Paternity can give you new legal rights and obligations, the right to visit your child, and the obligation to pay child support. For help with paternity proceedings, contact an experienced Orange County paternity lawyer at AKPC Law.

Arman Khoshnood at AKPC Law has over a decade of experience in working with parents and families wanting to establish paternity. He puts his clients first and provides clear, transparent communication for each client. Schedule an initial consultation with a dedicated and compassionate Orange County paternity lawyer today.

Establishing Paternity for Unmarried Fathers in Orange County

In California, if you’re an unmarried father, you want to remain involved in your child’s life, even if your relationship with their mother ends. To do so, you need to establish paternity. If you have not established paternity yet, you typically are ineligible to:

• Receive child spousal support
• Request visitation
• Petition for child custody
• Access your child’s medical records and educational information
• Have any other important paternal rights

Notably, for fathers going through a divorce, California generally assumes paternity in married fathers for children born during marriage.

Methods of Establishing Paternity

Establishing paternity often takes proactive steps. One in fourteen children in California is born without established paternity. In one year, 107,198 Californian children required establishing paternity (either through court action or via a voluntary acknowledgment). To prove your paternity, you can do the following:

• Be present when your child is born
• Work with the California Department of Child Support Services’ Paternity Opportunity Program
• Volunteer to sign a Declaration of Paternity
• Petition the court to have your name included on your child’s birth certificate
• Complete the birth certificate and other relevant papers at your child’s birth
• Take a DNA test to prove your genetic link with a child. If you’ve split with the mother, you may petition the court in Orange County to prove your legal parentage with a DNA test

Paternity in Orange County

In Orange County, attempting to navigate paternity can be especially difficult due to the unique challenges of our community. With a variety of family structures and a particularly diverse population of about 307,000 residents, many fathers are unsure about their legal rights and obligations. Local resources, like the California Child Support Services, provide relevant information and resources for establishing paternity, which helps fathers actively be a part of their children’s lives.

Get Help from an Experienced Attorney – Speak Directly with Arman Khoshnood at AKPC Law

Paternity is a complicated area of California law, and the experienced lawyer at AKPC Law can discuss your unique circumstances. With extensive, in-depth, and localized legal knowledge, he can help you establish paternity to create an arrangement for child custody, visitation and child support. Arman Khoshnood speaks English, Farsi, and Spanish.

Contact AKPC Law at The Atrium to schedule a client consultation with an experienced and professional attorney.