I'm having a hard time changing my name. The town clerk said I need to put an ad in the newspaper first and get a background check. When I called the office they referred me to for a background check, he said I need to go to the town clerk and begin a name change petition. I called the town clerk back and she said I can't begin a name change petition before I put my ad in the newspaper. Called the newspaper and they said I need to begin the legal name change process before they can publish my ad.

I have no idea where to begin. I keep getting sent in circles. Everyone tells me something different. To make matters worse, the town clerk contradicts herself every time I talk to her, and she's in a perpetually terrible mood. Does anyone know what I need to do to get this done? I'm so frustrated that I've considered hiring a lawyer. I don't feel like this is a matter of discrimination, just miscommunication. Thanks in advance.

Hi DeclanQ, welcome to Susan's Place! We have another Rhody who's a legal whiz, until he shows up here's some info: https://www.susans.org/wiki/Category:Documentation_changes

Might be best to buy that town clerk flowers or chocolate! Hugs, Devlyn

I found this. Should help http://www.wikihow.com/Change-Your-Name-in-Rhode-Island
On this page you will find links for the paperwork needed, they are in green.

I have found many you will have to deal with your name and also your sex once you get things changed have not a clue what they need to really do. You need to go there with anything that explains the process to them.

Also you will find people who have there own personal feelings involved and will just pass the buck so they do not have to deal with you.

Lots of luck
Izzy

Thank you both. That wikihow link was a lifesaver. I had no idea there was a form. No one told me about that...  Is it really that straightforward?

Hello, I am a paralegal at a Rhode Island law firm where a few of our attorneys are active (and one former) RI probate judges. Who knows, maybe one of my bosses will be your judge.

I posted this before about RI name/gender marker changes: https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,131742.0.html Of course, you'll want to double check everything, I believe the fee is more now. DON'T PAY IN CASH!

Get your BCI at the RI AG's office (and you should also get BCI from any state you've lived in besides RI as well).

Things vary slightly from town to town, so sometimes it makes since to do legal notice before filing the petition and sometimes after filing the petition. Call the clerk and ask when the probate court will next meet. If she's saying to file the legal notice before filing the petition, ask how long the notice needs to run, and if you do it now will you have enough time to make your petition and notice requirements in time for the next probate date. If you won't make it, you'll be down for the next date. Most small towns in RI only meet once a month, some twice.

So, when you call the paper (which the clerk should tell you which paper you need) you should just be able to tell them the date of the hearing, where it is, the time, and other relevant info like that. Some papers usually just get papers that you mail them which you obtain from the clerk (the citation) and they take a copy of  that and use that info for the legal notice. However, you don't get a citation for a name change. The newspaper you're using may not have a lot of name changes done, so may not be familiar with that.

Anyways, after you file your legal notice, you'll get a "tear sheet" from the paper which is enough to show you complied with notice requirements. But, sometimes they forget to send you one, or it gets lost in the mail or whatever, so you'll want to buy the newspaper on every day your notice runs just to CYA.

All RI probate forms are available at the secretary of state's website, here's the Name Change form: http://sos.ri.gov/documents/probate/PC8.1.pdf

You shouldn't need an attorney for this at all. But if you're really lost, call  the RI Bar Association and ask for the Volunteer Lawyers Program. You'll need to fit within certain financial eligibility guidelines.

Good luck.

Wow, LearnedHand, thank you so much for all that information. I really haven't been going about this the right way after all (of course...). Can't thank you enough for posting that. I'll get started right away, then. 

That's who we were waiting for! Thanks, Henry! Hugs, Devlyn

Update: As of 1/8/14, town of Scituate probate court, file your petition with clerk, cost $109 and they do notice by publication for you.

gotta love rhode island, always making stuff complicated for us lol