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Should I hire a lawyer to ensure I change my name properly? Hi legaladvice! So I'm getting married this February, and aside from changing my last name, I've always wanted to eliminate my given name and just legally use my English first and last name. I figure I want to get two birds with one stone and do it all at once. However, the [sheer number of forms and instructions](http://www.courts.ca.gov/1051.htm#howto) has my head spinning and I'm worried I won't do it right. I'm considering paying a service like [legalzoom](http://www.legalzoom.com) to help me, but I'm not sure it's safe. Should I hire a lawyer instead? Where would I go about finding a name-change lawyer? I live in California. I've also read during my research that I need to publish my name change to a newspaper or publication - does anyone know the reasoning behind this? Any input is appreciated - I'm getting quite a headache over this. Thanks!

Should I hire a lawyer to ensure I change my name properly? Hi legaladvice! So I'm getting married this February, and aside from changing my last name, I've always wanted to eliminate my given name and just legally use my English first and last name. I figure I want to get two birds with one stone and do it all at once. However, the [sheer number of forms and instructions](http://www.courts.ca.gov/1051.htm#howto) has my head spinning and I'm worried I won't do it right. I'm considering paying a service like [legalzoom](http://www.legalzoom.com) to help me, but I'm not sure it's safe. Should I hire a lawyer instead? Where would I go about finding a name-change lawyer? I live in California. I've also read during my research that I need to publish my name change to a newspaper or publication - does anyone know the reasoning behind this? Any input is appreciated - I'm getting quite a headache over this. Thanks!