Part 1~
Does anyone have a recommendation for an attorney specializing in Father's Rights in Texas. The baby is due June/July timeframe and the couple are NOT together. It has been a very sad and agonizing past few months and with no end in sight (very hostile, no communication, baby=birth + how many years of negativity with the ex and her family). She did the breaking up and was raised by a single mother with no positive contact with her father as well. I am scoping out attorney's to get the ball rolling. Any advice would be appreciated as well...you all are soooo smart and give great advice! Sad Grammie!
Part 2~
We went for a consultation with a "Father's Rights" attorney. Our appointment was NOT with the attorney that was advertised as "the best attorney for father's," it was with a new attorney (female) who is not even listed on the website and she was not as helpful as I thought she could be. With a $2500. retainer, I would like the attorney to represent our wishes and I just did not get that feeling. Should I start all over again, or contact the main attorney? Time is of the essence and I just do not know what to do! What would you do?
So we met with another attorney today and hired her! The baby girl was born somewhere around June 21st or 22nd. We gleened this info off of facebook. This evening, we found pictures of the baby on facebook as well. Beautiful. After all the helpful comments we received, we decided to wait until we knew the baby was born to have a paternity test ordered. The papers will be filed in court on Thursday or Friday. We are extremely happy with our new attorney and I never would have found her if I had not received a comment from one of you! My son is sad and happy...he wants to meet his baby as soon as possible! Thank you everyone....the comments and suggestions are great and the questions that some of you asked helped me mull over what we were trying to accomplish...this helped me help my son!!! Sometimes it is hard to know what the next step is and when to take it!
When the baby is born, things might change - they will have to communicate if only for the sake of child support.
You could contact the main attorney, but depending on his workload and how many partners or associates he has, you might just get sent to another attorney there and not him. It is important to both get an attorney that you feel you can work with, and one with a good record in cases similar to yours. If I had to pick one or the other of those two qualities, I'd pick the one with the good record.
Well with the VERY limited information here is what I can tell you. You should get an attorney that you are comfortable with and who you feel will best represent you. I don't know what you found unhelpful about her, but I do want to push that not all women are anti-father. I'm actually a single mom who is VERY pro father's rights, which no one would believe until they start talking to me, so they do exist. But, don't put a retainer down for someone who you do not feel comfortable representing you. I did this and hated working with the guy so it made the process more agonizing then helpful. You can contact the main attorney first, but don't expect him to be the one to take the case. Often these cases are going to be distributed out to the associates if he owns the firm. I will say too though, don't expect much to be done until after the baby is born as paternity needs to be established. Also, it can be a lengthy process. My process took about 6 months start to finish, which was short with no disagreements from the father.
I would talk to several attorneys if possible. They all come off as the "best" so please remember, they spend their days trying to sway their audience to believe them. They are like performers but in a court room setting.
She will have to pay the fees out of her own pocket, the judge won't make him pay anymore. The laws are changing to favor the man now.
You've gotten some good if not maddening advise so far, I dont need to add anything more, but I can reccomend a good attorney in the Dallas area. She is not a "Father's rights" per say, but she handled my husband's child custody case and is very good, knowledgable, honest about what can be accomplished, and fought very hard for his rights. Her website is
http://www.beverlystoreyfamilylaw.com
Good luck to you both, you are facing a very difficult and uphill battle.
If you weren't impressed with her, go somewhere else. Even if you do meet with the "main attorney," you will probably get the new associate in court with you.
Let the office know you didn't care for her and are going elsewhere so they have some feedback.
Go with your gut regarding the attorney. If the attorney strikes you as "off" in any manner (not representing your side, not giving you adequate time, etc.), then go find another one. My husband went through three and the entire process drug on for over two years. It was absolutely insane. I do think you need an attorney advocating for the father. Texas courts are awful in regards to fathers and their rights. I would NOT assume things will be judged fairly or in his favor just because. Good luck to all. It's a gosh awful mess if you aren't vigilant and sometimes even if you are.
