Pro Se Assistance With Adult Name Change Proceedings

By E. Stephanie Hebert, Fort Bliss Legal Assistance Office

Beginning March 1, 2023, the Fort Bliss Legal Assistance Office will assist eligible clients with pro se adult name change proceedings.

There are many reasons why an adult might want to change his or her name, such as:

  • they want their name to mirror a family name, maiden name, or nickname;
  • they’ve been divorced or married, but failed to change their name in conjunction with that event; or
  • they simply want a different name than the one given to them at birth.

If you live in El Paso County and have no criminal record, changing your name is fairly straightforward. Our office will prepare and provide you with a petition and order, a checklist, relevant statutes, and a list of statements you’ll need to make in front of the judge. You’ll be responsible for obtaining your fingerprint cards and criminal history, but we’ll guide you in the right direction.

During your first appointment with our office, an attorney will review your completed Questionnaire, and you’ll be given an opportunity to ask questions about the pro se proceeding, in which you will represent yourself. Thereafter, your attorney will prepare your documents, checklist and other forms, and will schedule a second appointment to give those documents to you and discuss the next steps.

The filing fee, fingerprint cards and criminal history report will cost approximately $500. In addition, once the court grants your petition and signs the order, you’ll want to purchase certified copies of the order for a nominal fee. The order will be proof that your name is legally changed, so you’ll want to distribute a certified copy of the order to DEERS, Social Security Administration, Department of Motor Vehicles, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Department of State (passport) and your credit accounts.

For more information, please schedule an appointment with the Legal Assistance Office by e-mailing usarmy.bliss.hqda-otjag.mesg.bliss-legal-assistance-office@army.mil anytime or calling (915) 568-7141 during our hours of operation. You can also stop by our office during our hours of operation to pick up an Adult Name Change Questionnaire.