NAME CHANGE

By David McCarthy

The story is told of a certain Raymond Nusspickle who did not like his name. So he changed it. To Henry Nusspickle.

To do that in Illinois - change your name - it is necessary to reside in the state for six months, file a petition in the state court and publish notice in a local newspaper.

The petition must be signed, verified, and filed in the state court in the county of residence. The notice must be published three weeks in a row, and the first publication must occur at least six weeks before the petition is presented to the judge in open court.

The same petition can be used to change the name not only of the petitioner but also of the spouse and adult children of the petitioner (with their consent, of course) and minor children (if the change is in the best interest of the minors).

The disqualifying factors are what you would expect them to be, e.g., conviction for sexual abuse of a minor, for identity theft, or for any felony that is recent and unpardoned.