Paternity Lawyer
Brown Family Law
Within the broader family law practice at Brown Family Law, paternity work occupies an important niche: it addresses the legal question of who a child's father is and what rights and responsibilities flow from that answer. Based in Sandy at 8915 S 700 E Ste 203 and serving families across Salt Lake County, the firm helps mothers, fathers, and others navigate the process of establishing paternity under Utah law — a step that can shape everything from child support to custody, inheritance, and even citizenship. This page profiles that single facet of the firm's work rather than its full range of divorce and family law services.
How Paternity Work Fits Into Brown Family Law's Practice
Brown Family Law is primarily a divorce and family law firm, and paternity questions often surface alongside those larger matters. When parents are unmarried, or when a child's parentage is uncertain, establishing paternity becomes the foundation for resolving related issues such as child support, visitation, and custody. The firm treats paternity not as an isolated filing but as part of a family's overall legal picture, connecting it to the child custody, child support, and modification services it also handles. Drawing on what the firm describes as more than 150 years of combined legal experience, its attorneys aim to give clients clear, straightforward answers to the questions that arise when parentage is in dispute.
What Establishing Paternity Involves
In plain terms, paternity refers to legally identifying a child's father. Under Utah law, a child born to a married couple is generally presumed to be the husband's child, while a child born out of wedlock has no presumed father. Establishing paternity closes that gap. A paternity action can be filed by the mother, the father, or the state of Utah, and when an alleged father disputes parentage, a court will often order genetic testing to resolve the matter. Brown Family Law helps clients understand their rights and responsibilities throughout this process, with particular attention to fathers' rights — the right to seek visitation and custody, and the right to take part in important decisions about a child's life once paternity is confirmed.
The reasons families pursue paternity are practical and wide-ranging. The table below outlines several considerations the firm helps clients weigh.
| Reason to Establish Paternity | What It Involves |
|---|---|
| Child Support | Utah law requires a father to support his child even outside marriage; genetic testing can confirm biological parentage and affect support. |
| Custody and Visitation | Confirmed paternity gives fathers the right to request custody, visitation, and a voice in major decisions about the child. |
| Benefits and Inheritance | Without established paternity, a child may have no right to inherit or receive benefits such as Social Security or veterans' benefits. |
| Citizenship | Where a father is American and a mother is foreign, establishing paternity may provide the child with American citizenship. |
How Brown Family Law Approaches Paternity Matters
The firm frames its family law work around an approach it calls Optimum Outcomes Planning — a strategic, rather than chaotic, path through legal challenges. For paternity, that means listening to a client's goals, explaining the available options within the Utah legal system, and building a plan tailored to the specific situation. A typical path through a paternity matter often follows a sequence like this:
- Meet for a consultation to review the family's circumstances and clarify what the client hopes to achieve.
- Determine who may file a paternity action — the mother, the father, or the state of Utah.
- Explore whether a Voluntary Declaration of Paternity is appropriate, keeping in mind the 60-day window to withdraw a signature after signing.
- File a paternity action in court when a declaration is not an option or when parentage is contested.
- Prepare for genetic testing if the alleged father disputes paternity and the court orders it.
- Connect the established paternity to related matters such as child support, custody, and visitation.
- Advocate for the client's rights and responsibilities as the case is resolved through settlement or, when necessary, in court.
Serving Salt Lake County Communities
Brown Family Law works with clients throughout the southern Salt Lake Valley and the greater Salt Lake City area. From its Sandy office near The Shops at South Town and Big Bear Park, the firm serves families in White City, Cottonwood Heights, Midvale, South Jordan, West Jordan, Murray, Holladay, Draper, Riverton, Taylorsville, and Millcreek, along with neighborhoods such as Prospector Place, Granite, Lincoln Estates, and Galena. These are communities familiar with landmarks like America First Field, Loveland Living Planet Aquarium, Gardner Village, Wheeler Historic Farm, Jordan Landing, and Murray Park — the everyday backdrop for the families the firm assists.
For parents living near Lone Peak Park in Draper, Riverton City Park, or Willow Pond Park in Murray, questions of paternity can feel deeply personal and legally complicated at once. Brown Family Law focuses on making sure clients understand their situation before decisions are made, developing a personalized plan and standing beside the client through each step. Because the firm also handles child custody, child support, mediation, and modifications of existing orders, families dealing with paternity can address the connected pieces of their case with a single team rooted in Salt Lake County.
Getting here
From Gardner Village
From Gardner Village, expect a 4.1-mile trip of about 11 minutes. The drive follows W 7800 S and Bingham Jct Blvd, then continues along Sandy Pkwy and W 9000 S before reaching S 700 E.