Parental Rights of Fathers in the South Bay

Torrance Divorce Attorneys Protecting Your Paternal Rights

When it comes to deciding family law matters involving children, the court is not supposed to favor one parent simply because of his or her gender. While the old-fashioned way of thinking says that the mother is the nurturer and therefore the better parent, the reality is that fathers are just as capable of being good parents and have equal parental rights. For this reason, the courts are supposed to give equal consideration to both mothers and fathers when it comes to these types of family law cases.

If you are someone who needs to protect your fathers' rights in court, you can find strong legal advocacy when you turn to Patricia Barberis, A Law Corporation. Our law firm has Torrance divorce attorneys who represent clients in Torrance and the Los Angeles area, as well as in other parts of California. Do not hesitate to turn to our firm for effective legal representation!

How We Can Assist Fathers

Here are some of the many different ways in which we can help fathers take a stand for their rights:

Establish Paternity—If the mother of your child is claiming that you are not the father, you can take a paternity test that officially settles the matter. Once your DNA test shows that you are in fact the father, we can help you get your fathers' rights recognized by the court. Establishing paternity provides you with the right to claim child custody and visitation, and it also makes you legally responsible for financially supporting the child.

Child Custody—If you and the mother of your child split up (either through divorce or through the termination of a non-marital relationship), you have a right to seek child custody as long as you are the legal father. Our legal team can help you ensure that you are being treated fairly by the court and that the best interests of your child are being served. Whether you are seeking joint custody or sole custody, we can provide you with solid representation!

Visitation—Some fathers prefer to seek visitation rather than child custody. With visitation, the mother has primary custody while the father is allowed to have regular visits with the child. This may involve seeing the child on certain days or caring for the child on certain weekends. Our law firm can assist fathers who are seeking their rightful visitation time.

Right to Be Included in Adoption Decisions—If a child is going to be put up for adoption, the father must be notified. This is because permission must be granted by both birth parents or legal parents before a child can be put a child up for adoption, except for in certain circumstances. In order to have the right to make an adoption-related decision, it must be shown that the father actually made efforts to serve as the child's parent. If this is not shown, the court might not recognize the father's parental rights.

Our law firm has been serving clients throughout the South Bay since 1977. With 70 years of combined experience between our attorneys, we are well suited to represent you in your family law matter.