A team of Jenner & Block lawyers partnered with Abbott Laboratories to assist a transgender client in changing his legal name to ensure his legal identity would match his lived experience. The team was introduced to the client through the firm's partnership with the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund (TLDEF) and its Name Change Project, which provides pro bono legal name change services to low-income transgender, gender non-conforming, and non-binary people.
The team helped their client compile the necessary documents to secure the name change, file the name change petition with the court, and satisfy the publication requirement for the name change. They also prepared their client for the court hearing by discussing how the hearing would proceed and going over possible questions from the court. At the hearing, their client answered the judge's questions, and the judge granted the legal name change petition. The client can now make changes to his identification documents using certified copies of the court order changing his name.
The team included Partners Laurie Edelstein and Joseph J. Torres, and Associate Alexis E. Bates.
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