Julia DiPrete is a freelance writer, former BigLaw attorney, unapologetic night owl, and Xennial. She has worked in law school career services and legal recruiting and has blogged extensively both in and outside the legal industry. When she's not wri.
Julia DiPrete, J.D. ContributorJulia DiPrete is a freelance writer, former BigLaw attorney, unapologetic night owl, and Xennial. She has worked in law school career services and legal recruiting and has blogged extensively both in and outside the legal industry. When she's not wri.
Written By Julia DiPrete, J.D. ContributorJulia DiPrete is a freelance writer, former BigLaw attorney, unapologetic night owl, and Xennial. She has worked in law school career services and legal recruiting and has blogged extensively both in and outside the legal industry. When she's not wri.
Julia DiPrete, J.D. ContributorJulia DiPrete is a freelance writer, former BigLaw attorney, unapologetic night owl, and Xennial. She has worked in law school career services and legal recruiting and has blogged extensively both in and outside the legal industry. When she's not wri.
ContributorAdam has resided at the intersection of legal and journalism for two decades. An award-winning journalist and legal strategist, he’s covered high-profile trials in Florida. After law school, Adam and spent two years clerking for a U.S. District Co.
Adam has resided at the intersection of legal and journalism for two decades. An award-winning journalist and legal strategist, he’s covered high-profile trials in Florida. After law school, Adam and spent two years clerking for a U.S. District Co.
Adam has resided at the intersection of legal and journalism for two decades. An award-winning journalist and legal strategist, he’s covered high-profile trials in Florida. After law school, Adam and spent two years clerking for a U.S. District Co.
Adam has resided at the intersection of legal and journalism for two decades. An award-winning journalist and legal strategist, he’s covered high-profile trials in Florida. After law school, Adam and spent two years clerking for a U.S. District Co.
Updated: Mar 22, 2024, 3:58am
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As the great William Shakespeare once penned, “What’s in a name?” As it turns out, a lot. Especially if you want to change it. Still, many people wish to change their last name after marriage or after that marriage ends in divorce.
We’re here to walk you through the basics of the legal process for a last name change after marriage or divorce. (Of course, there are the usual caveats about consulting specific state laws and speaking with an attorney.)
Changing your name after marriage or divorce is usually a simple process. Most states allow you to automatically make the change after you get married or after you get divorce.
If you want to adopt your spouse’s last name, shift your current last name to your middle name while taking your spouse’s last name or create a hyphenated combination of both last names, all you need to do is show your marriage certificate to request the change. Once you have your driver’s license or passport in the new name you can use that to change your name elsewhere.
Note that this applies to same-sex couples as well as opposite-sex couples.
So, if Jamie Smith marries Taylor Green, Jamie could become Jamie Green, Jamie Smith Green or Jamie Smith-Green without a court order.
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ContributorJulia DiPrete is a freelance writer, former BigLaw attorney, unapologetic night owl, and Xennial. She has worked in law school career services and legal recruiting and has blogged extensively both in and outside the legal industry. When she's not writing, she’s probably either doing mom stuff, wrangling her three dogs, lifting weights, or finding excuses not to clean her house.
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