Question: If you are considering filing bankruptcy or divorce or are in need of credit repair, see my website: http://www.tkolegal.com – You can have a kit containing everything you need to do these procedures, totally by yourself, immediately downloaded. How about name changes? I am divorced and my lawyer “neglected” to tell me that > during the divorce was the only time I could get my name changed for free. He’s > now informed me that it costs $145 for the filing fee and to put the required > notice in the paper, and that he usually charges $400 on top of that — but > he’s going to be generous and only charge me $200 + the $145. I’ve been > checking out books from the library, trying to learn how to do the name change > myself (he’s also claiming it’s a hairy process – “even worse than the divorce”,
Answer: it is not illegal to use any name you choose, so long as you do not defraud anyone. think about it. what kind of legal process did you or anyone else go through when you started using your husband’s name? did you, the county recorder and/or the officiating person at your wedding have any requirement to notify some court or central registry or anyone else of your new name? of course not. you simply started using it.
start using the name you choose, just as you did when you got married. if anyone asks, tell them that you have changed your name. you’re not required to tell anyone at all why you’ve changed your name, but sometimes it’s easier to give nosy people a reason, so tell them you’re changing your name as a result of divorce. at some point, you may get a letter from the IRS telling you that your name and social security number don’t match. write a polite letter back, telling them that you have changed your name.
I’m often bemused by the thought that so many people complain about the tediousness of obeying laws that do exist, only to find them trying to rigidly obey a law that does not exist. it’s still a freer country than most, and you don’t have to carry your citizenship and identity papers to prove you have a right to be on the street (although some anti-immigrant folks have suggested changing this).
I’ve never understood the reason for the court process for changing a name. the only thing I can think is that there may be some situations where a legal change is advisable, but I can’t think of what those situations might be for a private person. business names are a different story – you do have to register those to be legal, and rightly so.
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