Legal Question in Consumer Law in Virginia

name change for business purposes

I need to change my last name from one bland name to one that will be better in a business environment. i have searched the net and find many places willing to let me download forms for various fees. This leads me to believe I may be able to get these same forms free from the govt. In va what must i do, where do i find the forms and where do i file them for a legal name change? also any contact info regarding associated fees for such. thanks...gary


Asked on 1/03/09, 9:10 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys

Jonathon Moseley Moseley & Associates Law Firm

Re: name change for business purposes

The website for the courts of Virginia is www.courts.state.va.us

You will find many forms there, for free.

An application for a change of name for an adult can be found at:

http://www.courts.state.va.us/forms/circuit/cc1411.pdf

You can call the Clerk of the CIRCUIT Court for the County in which you reside and ask them the filing fee, if any. It will be minor.

However, I believe there are additional steps involved, such as showing that you are not changing your name to escape a criminal charge, that sort of thing. If you are determined to save money, you can certainly try it and they will tell you if you left something out.

For that reason, I am not a fan of companies selling legal forms (even though I strongly defend people's freedom to do it and as much freedom as possible).

At least 50% of the important tasks and considerations are NOT what is in the form, but knowing how and where to use the form. And knowing which form to use.

You also have to beware of the fact that many legal forms you can buy from companies are written generally nation-wide, but each State has its own format and its own rules.

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Answered on 1/03/09, 10:48 pm


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