Paternity Lawyer Contra Costa County
If parents are not legally married or fail to become registered domestic partners at the time of a child’s birth, then Contra Costa County judges will never assume parentage. Instead, parentage will need to be established via a Contra Costa County paternity action. Pursuant to California law, there different legal pathways for establishing paternity, including:
- When a Declaration of Paternity is voluntarily signed by both parents;
- When the parents were legally married at the time the child was conceived or born
- When there is evidence that the father tried to marry the child’s mother, but the marriage was not legally consummated, and the child was conceived or born during the time in which the marriage was not legally valid; and/or
- When the father married the child’s mother after the child was born and agreed to have their name listed on the birth certificate, or to pay child support.
The complexities associated with establishing paternity is a major reason why it makes sense to retain the services of a knowledgeable paternity lawyer in Contra Costa County, like Jeremy Castro, who can help advise the steps that need to be taken to formally determine paternity.