It’s nice to know that there is an easy way to change your name without the hassle of driving to a law office! Legal Action Workshop offers a quick and easy name change by phone! This means that all you have to do is show up at the hearing to receive your stamped approval of your name change.
A name change request is made up of 3 parts:
- Preparing & filing the name change petition
- Publicizing the name change for 1 month
- Appearing in court to receive the stamped approval of the name change
When you request a name change with Legal Action Workshop—we arrange for a phone consultation with the attorney who completes the petition (this could be done in person in our Glendale office if convenient).The petition is then emailed to you for signature. With the new ‘e-file’ system at the court, the petition can be emailed back and is e-filed. The filing fee is additional and is usually $435 depending on the court. We publicize the name change for one month (usually $105 based on zip code) and you are notified of the hearing date. You, not your lawyer, must be present at the hearing.
It should be noted that a name change will not be approved if the petitioner has a criminal record or unpaid traffic tickets. When there is a criminal record it’s best to speak with a criminal attorney about the possibility of an expungement. When there are unpaid traffic tickets, it’s best to pay the tickets before you begin the process of a name change.
Once the name change is approved, you will need ‘certified’ copies of the approval. The certified copies are available at the court. These are used for the various agencies (such as the California Office of Vital Records for the birth certificate, the DMV, passport office or Social Security etc.) that need to be notified of the name change. You would notify the appropriate agencies in order to receive new cards etc.
When you are in need of an adult or minor name change, call 1-800-HELP-444 and the name change lawyers at Legal Action Workshop can help you right away!
I’m going to be changing my last name once I get married soon, but I’d also like to change my first name as well thereafter, so I’m asking for help.!! I (believe I) understand the filing process, but I do need someone to review my forms to make sure they’re correct and so forth. I don’t mind whether any of this will be done in person or by phone, I look forward to hearing back soon..
Diemmi:
The court will look over paperwork for you–this is not something that we do. We can do a name change for you, but in that case we would do the paperwork as well as filing and publication.
Hope this helps!