Legal Question in Family Law in Massachusetts

Re: Name Change after 17 years of marriage.

You have a commonlaw right to change your name without a court order. You do this by using the new name consistantly. You are not permitted to do this for fraudulent reasons. So you should instruct everybody to use the new name. Notify all credit cards, banks, and organizations. Notify the Registy of Motor Vehicles, the Social Security Administration, the library, your town where you are registered to vote, etc. People may give you trouble changing your name in this manner (even though you have the right to do so.) As an alternative, you can go to the Probate and Family Court and fill out a petition to change your name. This will require a filing fee and an appearance before a judge but in the long run could be easier for you.

Re: Name Change after 17 years of marriage.

You can (and probably should) do a petition for name change in your local probate court. It is more official documentation than a common-law name change.

Re: Name Change after 17 years of marriage.

You should go to your county's Probate and Family Court and file a petition. The forms may be online at one of the various court websites. Try www.pcpfc.com and www.bcpfc.com, both of which have forms for download.