First, Terms & Connectors search in Lexis and/or Westlaw to find California cases (published or unpublished) in which a person petitioned to change his or her personal name to something bizarre or to something that might cause confusion.  What search query did you use?  How many cases did you retrieve?

Next, Natural Language search in Lexis and/or Westlaw to find California cases (published or unpublished) involving a petition to change a personal name to something bizarre or to something that might cause confusion.  What search expression did you use?  How many cases did you retrieve in Lexis and Google Scholar?

Provide the names of at least two relevant cases found in Steps 1 or 2 above.

Look at the West or Lexis headnotes for these two cases. Find a headnote that addresses the proper standard for allowing or denying a petition or application for a name change. What West Topics & Key Numbers or Lexis Topics are associated with this headnote? (Note: If you don't find a headnote on point, search through some other cases you found.)

Using the Key Number from the West headnote or the Lexis Topic from the Lexis headnote, consult the Key Number System in Westlaw or the Lexis Headnote System to see if you can find any other California cases on point. Did you find any relevant cases that you didn't find in Steps 1 or 2 above? If so, provide the name of one more relevant case.

Skim the text of the cases you named in Steps 3 and 5 above. Did any of the cases cite any relevant cases not already found?

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Title Petitions for Bizarre Name Changes in California A Case Analysis Introduction In the context of name changes this essay explores two different search approaches on legal databases namely Terms C... View the full answer