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Hi guys,
I need your advice on this. This sounds very complicated and it is but, I hope there's a way for me to resolve this.
When I was born, I was given the surname of my father *Benitez*. They separated and my mother met another man who happened to be a lawyer. He said that he was going to adopt me. So from when I was 2 years old, I started using his surname *Lazaro*.
When I turned 15, we found out that this lawyer didn't actually adopt me. He did the paperworks but he never submitted it to court. Apparently, the only thing he did was to register my birth certificate late. He registered the certificate with my name and his surname, his details and my mom's details. However, what this did was create two identities. I still kept using his name because there was no point in using *Benitez* because technically, that doesn't exist.
All my school records and every record I have is with the name *Lazaro*. My problem is this, I found out that this same lawyer NULLIFIED my Lazaro birth certificate without my knowledge--in 2005. I was 16 and still a minor when he separated with my mother. I renewed my passport in 2008 and I studied abroad and up until now, I am in a foreign country still using his name.
I got engaged last year and when the civil registry in the country that I am in was asking to authenticate my birth certificate, that's when I found out that the birth certificate was null and void.
Now, my question is: Is there any way I can still use this *Lazaro* name?
It's just that all my records are under this name and my passport will expire in February 2013 and I want to know if I can still use this name.
I would disbar this lawyer and bring him to court but the main concern that I have is if I could still use this name even if he nullified it--on the grounds that I had no say on the matter when he did it.
I really need advice on this. All suggestions/tips are welcome.
Thank you for your time.
I need your advice on this. This sounds very complicated and it is but, I hope there's a way for me to resolve this.
When I was born, I was given the surname of my father *Benitez*. They separated and my mother met another man who happened to be a lawyer. He said that he was going to adopt me. So from when I was 2 years old, I started using his surname *Lazaro*.
When I turned 15, we found out that this lawyer didn't actually adopt me. He did the paperworks but he never submitted it to court. Apparently, the only thing he did was to register my birth certificate late. He registered the certificate with my name and his surname, his details and my mom's details. However, what this did was create two identities. I still kept using his name because there was no point in using *Benitez* because technically, that doesn't exist.
All my school records and every record I have is with the name *Lazaro*. My problem is this, I found out that this same lawyer NULLIFIED my Lazaro birth certificate without my knowledge--in 2005. I was 16 and still a minor when he separated with my mother. I renewed my passport in 2008 and I studied abroad and up until now, I am in a foreign country still using his name.
I got engaged last year and when the civil registry in the country that I am in was asking to authenticate my birth certificate, that's when I found out that the birth certificate was null and void.
Now, my question is: Is there any way I can still use this *Lazaro* name?
It's just that all my records are under this name and my passport will expire in February 2013 and I want to know if I can still use this name.
I would disbar this lawyer and bring him to court but the main concern that I have is if I could still use this name even if he nullified it--on the grounds that I had no say on the matter when he did it.
I really need advice on this. All suggestions/tips are welcome.
Thank you for your time.
