Can I do the Parentage Act Forms myself

[nicoleely]

My husband's cousin is the gestational surrogate for us, she is 20 weeks along. It is time to file all the paternity paperwork. is this something we can do on our own. It seems like a lot, but with all the costs already we were looking at some other options. Or someone mentioned a paralegal. Any advice? We are in CA.

[Diane Hinson]

I recommend that you contact a California attorney's office that handles these petitions regularly. It is very important to get the steps right. Although CA is a "surrogacy-friendly" state, I have heard of petitions for parentage being denied in CA when the petitions were not filed correctly or in the correct counties. Nothing, however, stops you from asking whether there are certain steps you can take to keep costs lower -- e.g., doing any driving to the court to deliver documents, asking for a more junior member of the legal team, etc.

You have come this far. You want to make sure that you and you husband are properly recognized as the sole legal parents.

Write to me off line if you need some guidance to find an attorney in CA.

Best of luck!
Diane


Diane S. Hinson, Esq.
Creative Family Connections LLC
www.creativefamilyconnections.com
dhinson@creativefamilyconnections.com