Where do I find a free lawyer in GA that does name changes
When my fiancee who is on the spectrum (im also on the spectrum as well) was a minor, her last name got legally changed to her Step-Dad's last name and it was not even done with her real Dad's approval (and he never signed away his parental rights, he in fact paid child support to his ex-wife as well for the benefit of his daughter, although God only knows if that woman really used the support money on her daughter or on herself instead).
In addition to the change of her last name to her Step-Dad's last name, her middle name was changed to her Mom's maiden name.
Well her Step-Dad molested her, and her Mom did not believe her at all, her Mom later died but she told no one about the molestation until she told me about it, she later told her Mo's family and they turned a blind eye to it, they assumed she was making it up, they lied to her claiming that her Step-Dad had power of attorney, sure her Mom had POA but when her Mom died, the POA also died as well and no one had POA at all.
I was 1st one to believe her, my parents were the 2nd and 3rd people to believe her, the next person to believe her was her Step-Mom, once she told her Step-Mom about her, her Step-Mom was super furious and said to her "had you told me and your Dad back when it happened, we would've filed for custody and pulled you out of that house."
Next thing I know her Grandma is claiming to be guardian because of being payee on SSI benefits and I tell my fiancee that is bullhorn her Grandma is not her guardian, being SSI payee does not automatically make one a guardian at all, and her Grandma's friend that died from a heart attack shortly after, suggested someone get POA on my fiancee and she ends up asking if I her fiancee can have the POA and her Grandma's friend is saying no to that idea, and I was like that is it, she is getting out of her Grandma's house, so I called her Step-Mom to make the plans, although I was told I should make sure she is her own guardian but this was a Saturday and I had to wait till Monday to check into this.
Monday comes and I call Probate Court in the area, and Probate Court finds no record that anyone has guardianship or POA on my fiancee and they tell me when my fiancee's Mom died, POA also died and she is her own person as well.
So I told her Step-Mom that everything is clear to go, they can get her asap, although the plan had to wait till Friday to be fulfilled.
The plan was executed perfectly although her real Mom's family were ticked off about this and how well planned out it was (not to mention I went behind the backs of her Mom's family as well after all that crap they did).
Anyways ok I know im rambling on but this leads to, well ok we figured no point in changing last name back to her real Dad's last name since she will have my last name anyways, but considering it could be a bit before wedding occurs, I figured do a name change now, keep her 1st name of course but change her last name back to her real Dad's and change her middle name but not back to original but rather have 1st name of my Grandmother be the new middle name, why? cause my Grandmother was herself a molestation victim and I think she would be happy to let her 1st name become the new middle name of her future granddaughter in law (unfortunately Grandma is dead, but I know how she'd feel).
Anyways if anyone knows of any lawyers in GA that handle legal name changes without legal fees please let me know.
In order to change your name you just go to the court house and fill out some paperwork. There will be a fee if she does not wait until you are married (they let you change your whole name for free if you want if you are getting married), but you do not need a lawyer.
In addition she will need to get new ID/license/social security card, and possible a new birth certificate if they changed what was on file. It is a huge PITA, but if it is what she wants then it is worth it in my opinion. I changed my whole name.
Gotta agree with the above. I'm in MI, so the exact steps may be a little different, but it's a fairly simple process, with just a few steps of waiting. Here, you file the petition, if you are of a certain age, you get a background check, you file a notice in the newspaper, wait a little while for your hearing, and normally the judge grants your name change. You don't need a lawyer. If the paperwork asks for one, simply put "pro per" in that spot.
***NOTE: I AM NOT A LAWYER, ANYTHING MENTIONED ABOVE CANNOT AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRUED AS LEGAL ADVICE***
aspiebeauty87
Pileated woodpecker
Joined: 11 Nov 2007
Age: 39
Gender: Female
Posts: 199
Location: California,USA
My advice:
Go to a law school legal clinic. If her income qualifies (I think its 200% above poverty level), they can help her out for free. If it is above it they usually use a graduated income scale, but is often incredibly cheap, especially for an issue like this.
I would suggest a legal aid center, but this is honestly something that is more handled by legal clinics. This is something that can be done by a law student with the supervision of a law professor or lawyer. It is the type of challenge that these clinics were designed for...to help people out, including victims of abuse.
My other advice is try to seek a pro-bono attorney. This is a simple case and would give them pro-bono hours. If you can call a legal aid place that handles childhood abuse and manages pro-bono work for attorneys it can be helpful.
The truth is I know this is a simple thing to take care of, but I am not licensed in GA. I cannot offer advice beyond options on how to find an attorney. Literally, this should not take long, but your right, it should be done. This is not as messy as it sounds.
