Sunday, August 14, 2011

HOW CAN I CHANGE MY CHILD’S LAST NAME?

QUESTION: My daughter is 15 yrs old and I want to change her last name. There is not a father listed on her birth certificate. My husband is willing to give her his last name. We have been married since 1997. He has been the father figure to her since she has been a baby. How do I change her last name?

MY RESPONSE: You would need to file an Action for a Name Change, which requires that you provide notice to each and every interested person, including your daughter's biological father, so that those interested people can attend the hearing and contest the action if they so desire.

A better thing to do, if your husband wishes to do it, would be for your husband to adopt your daughter.

If your daughter's biological father hasn't communicated with her or provided any support for her for over a year, the biological father's parental rights can be terminated in an adoption by your husband if the biological father refuses to sign a consent to the adoption.

The biological father would need to be given notice of the adoption proceedings, and the Social Worker would give the biological father the option of signing or refusing to sign his consent to the adoption.

This educational blog is brought to you by DONALD F. CONVISER, an effective and aggressive Los Angeles Family Law Attorney and Divorce Lawyer serving clients in the courts of Los Angeles and Ventura County for over 35 years,owner of Warner Center Law Offices, with offices in Woodland Hills and Century City. Call 888.632.4447 or 818.880.8990 for a free confidential consultation with a Certified Family Law Specialist to discuss your divorce or family law issues. | www.conviser.net | www.conviserfamilylaw.com |

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