Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund (TLDEF) is joining forces with Lambda Legal to collaborate on one of TLDEF’s signature programs, the Name Change Project. The Project provides free legal name change services to low-income transgender people through partnerships with some of the nation’s most prestigious law firms and corporate law departments.

TLDEF will continue to run its program in New York City, while Lambda Legal will work with TLDEF to continue developing the initiative in Atlanta and throughout Georgia.

“We are thrilled to begin this partnership with Lambda Legal, which will enable even more transgender Americans to access free legal name changes,” said TLDEF Executive Director Jillian Weiss. “Since its inception more than a decade ago, TLDEF’s Name Change Project has served more than 3,000 trans people. Thanks to the pro bono support of our partners, the complex legal maze and expenses of a name change are no longer a barrier. Now, with Lambda Legal’s help we’re poised to help countless others.”

“We are excited to form this strong alliance that will make it possible for each organization to assist individuals who are part of our vibrant communities in bringing their legal names in alignment with who they are,” said Ethan Rice, Lambda Legal Fair Courts Project Attorney and lead of the Atlanta Name Change Project. “Lambda Legal is proud to help expand TLDEF’s groundbreaking work into the South, where the need for services that help transgender people is high. For many transgender individuals, changing one’s legal name is a critical step in obtaining a job and participating fully in the community. We look forward to providing this service to those in need.”

Through this partnership, transgender residents of Georgia who meet income-eligibility guidelines can receive free legal services to bring their legal identities in line with their lived experiences, opening up opportunities for education, housing and employment.

Transgender Georgians who are interested in receiving name-change services can apply at lambdalegal.org/myname.

Georgia-based attorneys and law firms who are interested in becoming a part of the Project by providing pro bono name-change legal services should contact Lambda Legal at 212-809-8585.