Change Of Name

HOW TO CHANGE YOUR NAME – NOT AS EASY AS YOU THINK

An appreciation by Elizabeth Robson Taylor of Richmond Green Chambers and Phillip Taylor MBE, Head of Chambers and Reviews Editor, "The Barrister"

'What's in a name?' queried Shakespeare's Juliet, appropriately quoted in this book. 'That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.'

Poor Juliet. As a love struck teenager, she clearly didn't know the half of it. Referring to the blood feud between two prominent families in renaissance Italy, (according to the story) the prospect, or the possibility of a name change at that time and in that place would have been remote to say the least.

Moving forward more than a few centuries, this well established legal text from Wildy, Simmonds and Hill explains in comprehensive and succinct fashion how to effect a change of name in modern Britain: England and Wales to be precise.

The fact that it has now emerged into a fourth edition is a testament to its authority and usefulness as a guide to the why's and wherefores of acquiring a change of name, so that, in the words of the publishers, the chosen name, 'is given legal recognition to identify the person concerned for all purposes.' This aim, as author Nasreen Pearce points out, is not necessarily an easy task.

The book is therefore intended as a simple, practical guide to the law and procedure involved in changing the name of a person, rather than a body corporate or a ship. There is however, a chapter on the requirements of certain professional bodies; architects, accountants and solicitors, for example.

The issues that predominate in name change, say, of a child, nonetheless extend across a broad range of legislation, including the Children Act 1989… the Adoption and Children Act 2002… The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008… and the impact of the Civil Partnership Act 2004 and the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013.

Unlike previous editions, this new edition, fortunately, contains tables of cases, statutes, statutory instruments and international legislation as well as a detailed index. The appendices in the final section offer the necessary forms and precedents.

In short, the book is a handy and accessible source of advice and information on an area of law that all too often presents unexpected pitfalls, which is why no busy practitioner should be without it.

The date of publication is cited as at 5th April 2018.