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Client Success Stories
Jane has been my rock and helped me through my divorce. She is firm and knowledgeable. She is great at client management and helped me stay focused throughout ongoing disagreements with my ex. I refer all of my clients seeking family law help to Jane.
Linda M., San Diego, CAJane is the best when it comes to honesty and straight-to-the-point feedback. She doesn’t sugarcoat anything. I received the best service I could have asked for. I especially enjoy the occasional contact she makes to see how things are going. This personal touch from an attorney goes a long way....
Gilbert C., Chula Vista, CABefore Jane took my case I was not able to see my son very much. It got so bad I had to call the sheriff to try and enforce the agreement my ex and I had. The sheriff told me that I needed to have a court order and that’s...
Peter S., San Diego, CAJane is great. She is always straight to the point. She made sure I understood everything that was going on. She is absolutely confident in court, and her paralegals were always helpful. She cared for me and also for my family.
Andres A., Chula Vista, CAJane was FANTASTIC in court. She knows the law EXTREMELY WELL. She was able to fight things that were improper or not right, and things that went against the law. She was able to show patterns of behavior and lack of willingness to comply with orders. Not only did she...
Elisa D., Lakeside, CAJane was always patient and was willing to explain the legal issues in a way that a layman could understand. She responded to the legal process in a timely manner and was never a cause of delay. Her staff was courteous and efficient, and I enjoyed working with them. My...
Dale G., El Cajon, CAJane was so good it makes me want to get divorced again. I went through a horrific divorce, and Jane was there to ensure that I was protected. She had my best interests in mind—and I know for sure without her, I would have been in a very terrible situation.
Michael P., San Diego, CAJane is a fantastic attorney. Attentive, aggressive, informative, and compassionate! She assisted me with varied issues including divorce, restraining orders, and real property issues that spanned across two counties—San Diego and Riverside. She was consistently available to me to answer my questions, which is rare for attorneys. I highly recommend...
F.D., San Diego, CAWhen you feel your time-tested sense of reality shifting all around you and your reeling mind is busy trying to adjust to the altered attitudes of all the people you trusted….that is when you most need a rock like Jane Wesley Brooks. When you most want to shout out in...
Eric M., San Diego, CAWhat do you know, an honest lawyer! Jane took care of my divorce from long distance. Always gave me the straight scoop and weighed the pros and cons of each issue before any were taken on. I feel Jane saved me money navigating through the legal and emotional issues of...
Pete M., Franktown, COGoing through a divorce is not easy for anyone, but I feel that my divorce was exceptionally rough, and I am so glad that I had you by my side as attorney during this tough time. You always had my best interest in mind, understood all of my concerns, and...
Dr. M.P., San Diego, CACan’t imagine too many people enjoying having to engage a family law group but when needed you can’t afford to settle for anything but the best. Jessica, Jane’s associate attorney, continues to prove to be what every client should be looking for—responsive, respectful, understanding, and compassionate while never losing site...
Chris PJane is an AMAZING attorney! She got everything done for me ahead of schedule and was one of three very important people to me while going through a very difficult time….very upfront and honest to the core. She tells you exactly what you need to hear and never sugarcoats it....
Vinny C., San Diego, CAI want to thank you for taking such good care of me during my divorce. I had gone to another lawyer prior to getting your name from a friend, and that was a disaster. Once I was referred to you, you gave me outstanding service and handled my case with...
M.T., San Diego, CAI took a chance in trying a legal search service when I needed an attorney ASAP when dealing with a potential parental kidnapping case. As one would expect, there were many that responded, all of which claimed to be the best in their field with “years of experience in these...
Laurence R., Warrenton, VAI want to express my sincere appreciation for your outstanding job. It was a pleasure…particularly because of the exceptional confidence and resolution you irradiate. Thank you for your patience in dealing with me. My recognition also goes to your professional office team—they are absolutely helpful and courteous.
M.D.M., San Diego, CAThree years subsequent to the finalization of my divorce, I once again retained Ms. Brooks’ services to prepare documents to modify the original court decree in response to my changed employment status. Ms. Brooks expertly guided me…and achieved a revised final settlement that brought a permanent and irrevocable termination to...
D.E.G., San Diego, CAMy husband and I both used Jane for our first marriage issues. She is very informative, strong willed, personable, always had our best interest in mind, and is hands down the best family law attorney out there. I recommend her to everyone I meet who is going through a divorce.
Shauna H., Santee, CAPersonally, I cannot say enough about Jane Wesley Brooks. Honesty was our main focal point of every conversation. She shoots straight from the hip and explains exactly what could happen and what might happen, even sometimes hearing what you did not want to hear. My divorce process was more lengthy...
Hillary S., El Cajon, CAI had already gone through my divorce and was being taken back to court. I asked a good friend of mine if they knew of a really great attorney and they gave me Jane’s phone number. She is really great at her job and makes you feel very important. I...
Becky B., El Cajon, CAI cannot say enough great things about Jane Wesley Brooks!!! Unfortunately she wasn’t my first lawyer. I had to fire a lazy, incompetent lawyer first. Jane came to my rescue and took over my case. Fixing all the problems from the previous attorney. She is so knowledgeable about divorce, law,...
Cristin N., San Diego, CAJANE IS AWESOME! Smart and competent would be enough in any case, but she is also caring and fair and truly wants to help you. I spent my life savings and am still paying off my previous attorney. I can’t express how much I wish I would have known and...
Kim Z., San Diego, CAI interviewed four attorneys before I picked you to represent me. The others were only interested in my assets, not me personally. But you were different. Your compassion, competence, ethics, toughness, and communication skills were obvious. I made the right pick: During my divorce, you commanded the situation, explained exactly...
R. P., Carlsbad, CAJWB Family Law
San Diego Office
1620 Fifth Avenue, Suite 600
San Diego, CA 92101
Phone: (619) 234-6123
JWB Family Law
Temecula Divorce Attorneys
43537 Ridge Park Dr, Suite 100
Temecula, CA 92590
Phone: (951) 297-3871
JWB Family Law
El Centro
300 S Imperial Ave, #10
El Centro, CA 92243
Phone: (760) 460-4608
The Steps to Establishing Paternity Rights as a Father
You often hear of women obtaining a paternity test from a man. But what about when a man wants to know whether he’s a parent or not? This blog will walk potential fathers through the steps to establishing paternity rights as a father.
As a father of a child, born or unborn, you have the right to confirm your paternity and establish your paternity rights just as a mother does. Once you open a court case to determine your parental rights, you can ask the judge to order paternity tests. If you are the father, the court will issue a judgment that will remain part of the court record.
It’s important to remember that establishing paternity comes with responsibilities. Once paternity rights are confirmed, you are responsible for child support, assistance with daycare costs, and splitting medical costs that haven’t been reimbursed with the other parent. Using the steps outlined below, you can also ask the judge to set up a custody and visitation schedule so you can establish and maintain a relationship with your child, or children.
How to Begin the Process of Establishing Paternity Rights
To begin the process, you will need to complete forms that are available through your attorney or online. You could also visit the Family Court Facilitator’s Office for assistance, but they cannot give you legal advice or represent you.
You can take one of three routes to establishing paternity:
- Make an agreement with the other parent and sign a voluntary declaration of paternity;
- Ask the local child support agency to set child support and establish paternity in court;
- Go to court yourself and seek a judgment of parental relationship.
The easiest way to establish paternity rights, as in all family law cases, is to make an agreement with the other parent and sign a declaration (option 1). This option is the least expensive and the least stressful for the family. Sometimes agreements aren’t feasible, which means you will have to choose the third option and take the case to court to gain paternity, and make custody and visitation arrangements.
Without an agreement, the court will send you to mediation, which in San Diego County is through Family Court Services. This office is part of the Superior Court and, after talking to the parents and doing investigation they believe necessary, they will issue a recommendation to the judge assigned to your case. You are entitled to object to the recommendation and have a hearing before your judge, but often, the recommendation is followed and you may need to explore other options to establish paternity rights.
Option number two is also possible, but most people don’t want the local Child Support Agency to take over the support matters. Your family law attorney can explain how these processes work in San Diego.
To initiate your court case for paternity rights, follow these steps:
- File a Petition to Establish Parental Relationship, a Summons (a formal notice that a court case has been started and affects the persons named in the court papers), and a third form informs the court of who the children are, where they have been living, and whether there are other court cases affecting them in any jurisdiction.
- File signed and completed forms at the Family Law Division of the Superior Court.
- Obtain copies of forms and have them personally served to the other parent. You cannot serve the papers. Whomever serves papers must be over age 18, and will deliver the copies and blank response forms to the other parent, as outlined here.
What Comes Next: Custody and Visitation
If you would like to begin the process of obtaining custody and visitation, you should file a Request for Order. This asks the court for a hearing date and to start the Family Court Services procedure. There are court fees to file your Petition and the Request for Order, unless you qualify for a fee waiver. Once the other parent is served with the filed court forms, you need to wait 30 days for a response. If they do not respond, your attorney can assist you with next steps.
As it is with all family law cases, it’s a good idea to get the process moving sooner rather than later. The longer you wait, the longer you are not a part of a child’s life and the less likely it is you will receive a robust visitation schedule.
You deserve qualified legal representation in your quest for paternity rights. We’re here to help. Contact JWB Family Law for information on how we can help you start a paternity action in San Diego County.