Young child in brown overalls and black beanie holding hands with tattooed adult in tan pants outdoors.

Paternity Attorney Serving South Florida

A child’s legal father is not always the same as the person raising that child day to day, and until paternity is formally established, questions about time-sharing, support, and decision-making can be difficult to resolve either way. Whether you are trying to establish your own rights as a father or trying to secure support and structure for your child, the legal groundwork usually has to come first.

Barash-Schatten Law Firm, P.A. can serve as the paternity attorney South Florida parents throughout Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties turn to when a child’s parentage needs to be legally established or addressed. Attorney Pamela Schatten, an AV-rated attorney recognized by her peers for legal ability and ethical standards, aims to work directly with every client from the first conversation forward rather than handing a case off to a rotating team of associates.

Why the Right Attorney Makes the Difference

Until paternity is legally established, a father may have limited standing to seek time-sharing or participate in decisions about his child, regardless of how involved he already is in that child’s life. On the other side, a mother seeking support may find the process considerably harder to move forward without a legal father formally identified first. Either way, the paperwork and the underlying facts both have to hold up, and a case built without attention to detail can stall at exactly the point where a family needs it to move.

It is also easy to assume that being named on a birth certificate settles the legal question of paternity on its own. That assumption is not always accurate, which is often why families begin looking for a paternity attorney South Florida parents trust before a dispute over time-sharing or support brings the issue to a head.

How We Can Help With Paternity

Representation in this area can start with identifying what actually needs to be established, whether that is voluntary acknowledgment, a court action to establish paternity, or a DNA test result that needs to be formally recognized. From there, a paternity case can typically address time-sharing and support at the same time, so a father’s rights and a child’s needs are both addressed.

We can also help with situations that run the other direction, such as questioning an existing paternity determination when new information suggests it may not be accurate. If a paternity matter is connected to an existing custody or support question, our child custody and child support pages may be worth a look as well.

Why Clients Choose Pamela Schatten

Ms. Schatten is AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell, a distinction based on peer review of both legal ability and ethical standards, and clients consistently describe her as thorough and conscientious in reviewing every detail of their case. She brings the same attention to a straightforward uncontested filing that she brings to a contested custody dispute, and our office typically responds to calls and emails within a couple of hours rather than days.

Frequently Asked Questions

Family law questions rarely have a one-size-fits-all answer, since the right approach depends
on your specific situation. Here are some of the questions clients may ask before their
first consultation.

Paternity can generally be established either through a voluntary acknowledgment signed by both parents or through a court action, which may include a DNA test when parentage is disputed. Which path applies can depend on the circumstances, including whether both parents agree on who the legal father is.

Not automatically. Establishing paternity is often addressed together with time-sharing and support in the same case, but each of those pieces can still need to be worked out on its own terms.

A previously established paternity determination can sometimes be challenged if new information comes to light, though this can be a fact-specific process and is worth discussing directly rather than assuming either way.

A father’s ability to seek time-sharing or participate in decisions about a child can be limited until paternity is legally established, which is one reason many fathers choose to address the issue directly rather than waiting.

What Working With Our Firm Looks Like

Your first conversation with us is about your situation, not a sales pitch, and we tell you honestly what to expect for your case rather than what you want to hear. If your situation can realistically be resolved without years of litigation, we will tell you that too, and we will tell you plainly when it cannot.

You work directly with Ms. Schatten throughout your case, not a revolving cast of associates, and you will always know what is happening next and why.

If you are facing a divorce, a custody dispute, or a question about support, call Barash-Schatten Law Firm, P.A. at (954) 698-4644 to schedule a consultation at our Hollywood office. We also welcome contact through the form on our website, and we will let you know honestly what to expect for your specific situation.

Professional portrait of a smiling woman with crossed arms, wearing a navy blazer and striped shirt.

Contact the Firm

Start the conversation.

Tell us briefly what you need and how to reach you. Messages go directly to Pamela Schatten, and you will hear back within a couple of hours at most during the business day.

Office

Barash-Schatten Law
800 E Cypress Creek Rd, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33334

Telephone

305-868-7800

Toll free

1-833-DO-A-WILL

attypamschatten@gmail.com

Areas served

Miami Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Oakland Park, Lauderdale by the Sea, Hollywood Beach and Pompano Beach, plus the rest of Broward and Miami-Dade County

Office location, Fort Lauderdale