Volunteer Lawyers for Justice

PRIDE Name Change Program

If you are looking for free legal help in New Jersey to change your legal name, please click here.

VLJ's PRIDE Name Change Program assists community members seeking to change their legal name in New Jersey. Attorney and non-attorney volunteers work in teams to meet with clients, help prepare pleadings, collect necessary documentation, and file petitions using the courts’ online filing system (JEDS). Please note, a queer identity is not a requirement for clients to obtain assistance; however, VLJ prioritizes assisting trans, nonbinary, and non-cisgender individuals through this program.

Court/Docket: New Jersey Superior Court

Format: The program primarily operates as a quarterly in-person clinic at a location in New Brunswick, NJ. Volunteers work in teams to meet with pro se litigants to help them prepare the paperwork needed to petition for a legal name change in New Jersey.

Time Commitment: Each clinic lasts between 3-4 hours

Experience NOT Required: No prior experience is required to volunteer; however, all first-time volunteers are required to review VLJ’s training materials before attending a clinic. VLJ staff are also present at each clinic to offer supervision and assistance.

Training Available: VLJ has training materials (written & video) on the legal name change process in New Jersey.

How to sign up? PRIDE Name Change Program clinics are currently open only to volunteers from Merck. If you work at Merck, please talk to your pro bono coordinator about how to get involved.