Legalzoom

[the_hero_isme]

I'm trying to get my name change sorted out, but the only real option I can seem to find is legalzoom.com. (I'm in Kansas) My question, though, is after I pay them to send me my paperwork, do I also have to then pay the court to get it done? Or rather, is it just one payment to legalzoom and then nothing more besides publishing it in the newspaper

Comments

[tonyinabag]

you should probably contact your county court clerk's office, they're the one you'll have to file through. they can tell you the procedure.

sites like legalzoom are just charging you to get the name change paperwork. the way it worked for me (i live in oklahoma), i went to the law library at the county courthouse, where they made me a copy of a "sample" name change document, which i then retyped in word with my information where the blanks were on the sample form. you might have that same option. $20 (or whatev) to legalzoom, or 60 cents for copies at the courthouse? easy decision :)

[nickolas_d]

These places charge an arm and a leg. Might as well pay a lawyer if you are gonna spend the money. I think Legal Zoom quoted me like $150 or something.

Courthouse papers are nice, I just don't understand how to fill them out...like the top part that says "District _____." How am I supposed to know that? lol.

[heartttcore]

Honestly, I left blanks in mine where I didn't know what they were asking for. I just went back and told them, "It's pretty much filled out except for wtf is this blank even for??" The people at the county clerk's office helped me out. Don't throw away all that money yet; go get the forms first and see if anyone there will help you fill them out or give you a sample to follow.

[nickolas_d]

You pay them for the paperwork. They send it to you, and then you pay the court filing fees as well as newspaper publishing fees. I did that when in Louisiana. I used a different company though, "Civil Tree," which I would not recommend to use since they never sent me my stuff. They were all the same, and Civil Tree was cheapest...guess I learned my lesson. But yea, you are only paying for the paperwork preparation. It's the same as going to a lawyer, but one that you don't know and who is over the internet.

[bluehairedchild]

Have you called around to lawyers in your area? Some might only charge the fees of filing with the court. Here it is about 75 bucks, so half as much as legalzom was wanting from me.

[smellofbooks]

Is it not an option to go to the probate court and do it in person? If you don't understand parts of the form, such as what district or what have you, a clerk should be able to assist you. You don't have to write anything other than "common usage" for reason for name change, if you don't want to.

[tonyinabag]

Technically, (i think, anyway) clerks shouldn't assist anyone in filling out paperwork for filing, because that could be considered "legal advice". I work for City government and we're specifically told not to provide any sort of specirfic assistance on how to fill out paperwork etc.

[flashmerain0834]

I would not recommend paying LegalZoom their $150 quote when you have much cheaper options. Go to your county probate court and get the papers directly from them. You can attempt to fill them out yourself (they're usually relatively self-explanatory... I did mine with my Student Legal Services attorney and it was super easy) or have a consult with an attorney in your area if you're unsure (try contacting the Legal Aid Society for a referral to an inexpensive or pro bono attorney). The probate court will not accept incomplete or insufficient paperwork so even if a mistake is made, they'll point it out when you try to file the paperwork. Good luck to you and don't waste your money!