Fathers’ Rights

Clark Law Group > Family Law > Paternity > Fathers’ Rights

Dallas Attorney Helping Fathers Address Paternity and Child Custody Issues

Fathers can often face difficulties when they become involved in family law cases. Even though fathers can play just as important of a role as mothers when raising children, they may struggle to protect their right to maintain ongoing relationships with their children. Mothers are often seen as more nurturing and involved in family responsibilities, while fathers may be presumed to be more focused on pursuing career opportunities and earning income to support their families. Because of these perceptions, fathers may worry that they will be unable to share in child custody, that they may have limited visitation time with their children, or that they will face increased financial burdens due to child support obligations.

Family Lawyer protecting your parental rights

At Clark Law Group, we believe that fathers should be treated equally in family law cases, and we work to ensure that children’s best interests will be protected when making decisions about custody and related issues. We work to protect the rights of our clients and help them maintain positive family relationships. Whether you are working to negotiate a settlement with your children’s other parent or believe that you need to take legal action in court to protect your parental rights, we can help you take the correct steps to resolve these issues effectively.

Legal Issues That Affect Fathers’ Rights

Texas law states that when addressing child-related issues, including conservatorship (legal custody) and visitation, a parent’s sex or marital status should not affect the decisions that are made. Instead, the best interests of the child should be the primary consideration. This means that mothers and fathers should be treated equally based on their qualifications for providing for their children’s needs and interests.

If a father is appointed as a joint managing conservator, sole managing conservator, or possessory conservator of his child, he will have certain parental rights. These include the right to receive information from the other parent about the child’s health and welfare, the right to access the child’s medical and educational records, the right to consult with doctors about the child’s medical or psychological treatment, the right to consult with teachers and school officials about the child’s education and welfare, the right to attend the child’s school activities, the right to be notified by a school or other organization about child-related emergencies, and the right to make decisions about emergency medical treatment for the child.

Some issues that may affect fathers when addressing child custody, visitation, and related issues include:

Paternity – If a child’s parents are unmarried, the father may not be considered the child’s legal parent, even if all parties are in agreement that he is the biological father. To protect parental rights and ensure that the child can receive certain benefits, steps may need to be taken to legally establish paternity.
Custody and visitation for young children – While a standard possession order may be used to ensure that a father receives at least the minimum amount of visitation time with children, this order may not apply in cases where children are under the age of three. In these situations, possession orders may be adjusted based on each parent’s ability to provide care, the consistency of the child’s routine, the need to develop healthy relationships with both parents, and other relevant factors.
Allegations of domestic violence – If a father has been accused of committing physical, verbal, or sexual abuse against a child or another family member, a protective order may be issued that restricts his contact and communication with the child or the other parent. While fathers will be required to follow the terms of these orders, they can defend against allegations of abuse or domestic violence by providing evidence showing that they are not a danger to their children, and they can take steps to protect their rights as they determine how to address child custody issues going forward.

Contact Our Dallas Child Custody Attorney for Fathers

Our lawyers believe in protecting fathers’ rights while helping resolve child custody matters in a way that will allow children to maintain healthy, positive relationships with both parents. To learn how we can provide legal help to fathers in family law cases, contact our office at 469-906-2266 and set up a confidential consultation. We provide representation for fathers in Lake Highland, Grand Prairie, Denton County, Coppell, Preston Hollow, Highland Park, Farmers Branch, Fort Worth, McKinney, Carrollton, University Park, North Dallas, Garland, Dallas County, Mesquite, Lakewood, Dallas, Irving, Plano, Collin County, Valley Ranch, and Park Cities.