Don't think there are PMs here. I got a lawyer from the newspaper, his ad said that was one of the things he handled, and his assistant actually did whatever legal paperwork was necessary (that was $350), and showed up in court with me. I had to tell the judge my reason for changing my name, and pronounce the full name, all three names, in court (which provoked some snickers from the other people in the courtroom). Once that was done and I had documentation saying my name had been legally changed, my next stop was to get a new Social Security card (name change doesn't change your SSN, but I wanted a new one that showed my new name), then when I got my new drivers' license I had to show my new Social Security card and my name change paperwork. Once I had an updated Social Security card and drivers' license, getting any other form of ID (banks, credit cards, etc) was no problem.

Oh, WHY did I change it -- no particular reason really, just a whim, thought it'd be cool to choose my own name and initials, and I was flush with money at the time (riding the dotcom boom). I told the court that I did it for business reasons, to attract more attention with potential clients and the like, which was acceptable to them. (I wasn't a deadbeat dad trying to avoid child support or anything nefarious like that, which is what they're concerned with and is why they want to know your reasons for the name change.)