Traditionally, a petition for minor name change was filed in the probate court of the county where the child currently lives.
This is no longer the case for all counties in Alabama. Baldwin Co. has delegated this task to the Juvenile Court if the child has had prior dealings with the court; otherwise, it goes through the Circuit Court Domestic Relations Division.
The reason for this change is unclear – at least to me. There are also downsides to it as well for clients. The filing fee for minor name change in Baldwin Co. Probate Court was $25.00. The filing fee now is $227.00.
Nonetheless, though the Court has changed and additional documents need to be filed, in an effort to assist my clients, my legal fees will remain the same price.
