Career Considerations: Name Changes After a Virginia Divorce

After a Virginia divorce is finalized, many women look for a fresh start in their lives and opt to legally change back to their maiden names. It is a relatively straightforward process in Virginia. If you remember changing your name after you got married, changing your name after a Virginia divorce is not very different.

There are some women that choose not to return to their maiden names. There are a variety of reasons not to change your name after a Virginia divorce, but one of the main reasons is because of professional identity.

Your career is important to you, and if you are in a situation where you have built your professional identity around your married name, you may not want to go through the steps to change it.

You may be concerned that you will lose contact with clients or collaborators if they cannot find you. Perhaps your married name is part of your actual business name. In that case, a name change after a Virginia divorce may actually cause more harm than good. 

Keep in mind that a professional name change can be done. Once you go through the process of changing your name legally, changing it professionally is mostly about notification. Be sure to notify your clients, vendors and other businesses of the change.

You may have to do this repeatedly via different methods, including: 

• emails to your clients and other contacts;
• distribution of new business cards to your clients;
• use of a new email signature;
• alerts to your office receptionist (and anyone else handling your phone calls);
• distribution of a postcard or digital postcard detailing the change; and
•  a full re-brand (if you own a business). 

A name change after divorce in Virginia is really not a daunting task. If you still have concerns about some obstacles that you may face, you may want to speak with a Virginia divorce attorney who can help you make sure the name change process goes as smoothly as possible.

Contacting a Virginia Divorce Attorney 

The Virginia divorce attorneys at Hofheimer/Ferrebee are committed to fighting for your rights, assisting in child custody disputes and advocating that you receive everything you need in order to start your new life.

Throughout your divorce proceedings, you'll naturally have a lot of questions specific to your circumstances. Get your questions answered by requesting a complimentary copy of our guide, What Every Virginia Woman Should Know About Divorce, or reserving your seat at our monthly divorce seminar - 757-425-5200.