Missouri City Fathers’ Rights Lawyer
Many fathers struggle to fight for their rights as parents. These fights can occur during divorces, custody disputes, or arguments concerning child support. A Missouri City fathers’ rights lawyer could help you if you are a parent looking to protect your relationship with your child. The family attorneys at Angela Faye Brown & Associates could help you assert your rights as a father and take any legal action necessary to do what is best for your child.
What Are The Rights And Responsibilities Of Fathers In Missouri City?
While historically the courts presumed that it was in the best interests of the child to stay with their mothers, this is not true today. In fact, Texas Family Code § 153.002 states that all a family court’s decisions concerning a child must keep the best interests of that child at the forefront of its rulings without considering the parents’ genders. Additionally, under TX Fam. Code § 151.001, both parents have a duty to care for the welfare of their child and have the right to make key decisions concerning the upbringing of a child.
Specifically, a father’s rights and responsibilities include:
- Seeing their child
- Financially and emotionally supporting their child
- Caring for their child
- Making decisions for the child
A compassionate attorney could work with fathers to ensure they are reaping all the benefits of parenthood, despite not being with the child’s mother.
Court Order
After a separation, divorce or paternity case, the father will have a court order that lays out how all those decisions come about. The possession section of the document will dictate the visitation schedule. The conservatorship part of the order discusses who makes the decisions surrounding the child’s medical care, education, social life, and extracurriculars. These may be made with the input of both parents, or at the sole discretion of the custodial parent. Finally, the court decree will cover how the child will be financially taken care of, such as the child support schedule the parents will use, how much will be paid, who supplies the child’s health insurance, et cetera.
Genetic Testing
On the other hand, if a man discovers he has a child through a genetic test, and he fails to put a paternity order in place, there is no precedent for how all the above decisions will be made.
How Could A Father Protect His Rights?
It is an unfortunate fact that many parents encounter difficulties with their co-parents that impact their relationships with their children. This occurs most often when parents initiate a divorce. Here, a family court case may be necessary to determine the rights and obligations of each parent.
One of the most important issues for fathers in these cases is the question of custody. Because courts prefer to split custody between parents, a father must be ready to demonstrate that he can provide a safe and nurturing environment for his children. If a father does not receive custody, he may still be able to assert his rights to visitation.
A Missouri City lawyer could help a father argue for a fair visitation schedule while protecting his parental rights. In addition, disputes can arise over the question of child support. It is important to note that a father may not have the right to see his children unless he has established paternity.
Reach Out To A Missouri City Fathers’ Rights Attorney Today
Unfortunately, some disputes between parents can often jeopardize the rights of fathers to remain in their children’s lives. Even though state law gives both parents the same rights, it is often necessary for fathers to defend their rights as a parent in court.
A Missouri City fathers’ rights lawyer could help you to make the required arguments concerning custody, visitation and support. Our team at Angela Faye Brown & Associates could defend your rights in court as well as demonstrate how you are able to keep a safe and secure home for your children. Call today at 713-714-3710 in Houston or at 512-572-1207 in Austin.