Family Law
RESOURCES
Our law firm is not currently accepting new cases in this practice area. We hope you find the information contained here helpful.
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If you or your spouse have served in the military, special military law provisions may apply to your situation and you would benefit from having a lawyer who knows and understands these rules.
Special Advice for Name Changes
After your name is changed in a divorce decree or a name change order, please contact the following agencies and companies to determine what you need to do to change your information on their records:
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Social Security Administration – www.ssa.gov;
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Texas Department of Public Safety Driver’s License Division – generally, you will be required to go in person with a certified copy of the order changing your name;
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Credit card companies;
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Insurance – vehicle, home, life, and so forth;
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Internal Revenue Service at 800-829-1040 or check irs.gov;
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Mortgage holders;
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Utilities on your residence;
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State licensing agencies.
Because many of the others will require the driver’s license change or social security number change before they will modify their records, we suggest you contact the Social Security Administration and the Department of Public Safety Driver’s License Division first.
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Once you’ve changed your name with social security, tax returns need to be filed in your new name. If you haven’t changed your name with social security when it is time to file your tax return, then file your tax return under your former name. If you need additional certified copies of the court order changing your name, you can get these from the district clerk in the county where the court order came from.
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Also, if your name is restored to a prior name in a divorce, the district clerk is required to provide you with a Change of Name Certificate, which is a one-page document that includes the name before the change, the name to which it was changed, the date on which the name change was made, the person’s social security number and driver’s license number, and the signature of the clerk. (This is required by Texas Family Code Section 45.106.)