"What's in a name? A rose by any other name would smell as sweet," said William Shakespeare a  few centuries ago.  

     But, what happens when your name prevents you from collecting Social Security and Disability benefits, because you've changed your name and that new name is not legally recognized by the state which controls all those benefits? For Langley Stewart*, it was a nightmare. 

Single Mom, Supportive Uncle ...

     Langley was born in St. Martin** parish to Sarah Stewart* and Langley Atkinson* and his birth certificate read, Langley Atkinson, Jr.*  But, his parents separated, and at the age of 8 months, Sarah could no longer afford to care for her child as a single parent, and Langley was sent to live with his uncle, Bob Stewart* in north Louisiana.

     As a result, Langley simply took his uncle's last name as his, and from that point forward, all of his legal records showed him as Langley Atkinson Stewart.  His military duty, Social Security, school records, driver's license all showed this as his legal name. But, in fact, his birth certificate continued to show him as Langley Atkinson, Jr.

     Now, as an adult, Langley was faced with a multitude of health and disability issues and was seeking Social Security and Disability benefits. It was then that his name became an issue -- his birth certificate said one name, Langley Atkinson, Jr., and everything else had the name he had used all his life, Langley Atkinson Stewart.

     The state of Texas, where he presently lives, had no problem certifying the name change, but when he wanted to have this accepted in Louisiana, where many of his benefits had accrued, the state refused to accept Texas' certification.  He had to prove that the two names were the same person.

Offering Hope 

    Langley was referred to The Project and at first it looked as though there was nothing that could be done since his parish of birth was St. Martin and that was outside The Project's jurisdiction.  But, since all vital records for the state are kept in Orleans Parish, the door was opened for Langley to perhaps get what he so desperately needed -- his own name.   

     One of The Project's longtime volunteers, solo practitioner, Michael Duplantier decided to take Langley's case.  With Mike's legal skills, and the willingness to give of his time, Mike was able to secure the needed name change and Langley's lifelong name became his legal name on his birth certifcate.  Finally, Langley was able to apply for the Social Security and Disability benefits he so desperately needed.

     "Before utilizing The Pro Bono Project, I was unable to get my situation resolved. Now I can file for Social Security disability or for regular Social Security benefits, whichever comes first.

     "The resolution was handled beyond my expectations and the attorney, in my opinion, went over and beyond normal realms, because he made a personal sacrifice with his time and professional assistance," said Langley    

     Sometimes, we forget that pro bono matters but it's cases just like this -- something so simple as the legal recognition of a person's lifelong name -- that help remind us how important the work we do really is.  Thanks to volunteer attorneys like Michael Duplantier, we are able to make a real difference in opening the door for those in need of civil legal services. 

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 * The client's name, and the names of his family members, have been changed to protect client confidentiality.  

** The parish name has been changed to protect client confidentiality.