Q: How do i get my daughters Name changed in tn.the mother passed away and she was married.im the childs biological father.
Her husband has been out of the picture for 17 yrs.He said he will sign whatever i need signed.I have the Power of Attorney for care of a minor child form.But i am having a hard time with getting an audience with a judge.How do we go about being seen by a judge?So that he can officially sign off on the name change.thats the final step in this mess.Thank you for your time.
A: A request to change a surname is a court proceeding: you have to file a written petition ( also called a "complaint" under the rules of procedure) and give notice of that filing to any persons or entities that my be affected by your petition ( and in your case, there may not be anyone else). Giving this notice is also called "service of process" under the rules of procedure. Once the other parties have been given notice/ or been served, a hearing before the judge can be scheduled through the clerks office. As already mentioned, the courts have RULES of procedure that must be followed by everyone ( there is no exception for the inexperienced). As a result, my best advice is to hire a lawyer to assist you with this, it will be simple ( and therefore inexpensive) for an experienced lawyer.
Anthony M. Avery agrees with this answer
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