Trial Magazine

When Ben Cooper began his career at a Washington, D.C., law firm, a novel pro bono opportunity came up—Whitman-Walker Health, a nonprofit community health center focused on providing care to the LGBTQ community, wanted to start a name change clinic for its transgender patients. Cooper was one of its first volunteers, navigating patients through forms and procedures to formally change their names in public records to match their gender identities.

After Cooper relocated to Ohio for work, he looked for ways to continue helping the transgender community. At the time, there was no name change clinic in the state, so Cooper reached out to gauge interest and the need for one. He connected with TransOhio, a nonprofit serving the transgender community, and Equitas Health, which focuses on providing health care to LGBTQ patients. Finding a strong need, together they launched the first Ohio name change clinic in 2016. They trained over two dozen lawyer volunteers and began holding monthly walk-in clinics, serving as many as 33 transgender individuals per month.

At the clinics, transgender individuals consult with volunteer attorneys on how to change their name and gender marker on Ohio documents to match their gender identity. The volunteers walk clients through the requirements—which differ slightly among the state’s 88 counties—and help them fill out forms. Cooper explained that clients are guided through detailed requirements to avoid rejection for technical reasons—counties may require forms to be typed or completed in blue ink, notice must be published in certain newspapers, and certain professionals (doctors or therapists) must fill out forms confirming a person has transitioned using particular language.

Most clients walk away ready to file on their own, but clinic volunteers have stepped in and accompanied clients to court as needed. Volunteers also provide clients with information on changing their name and gender marker on federal documents, including their Social Security records and passport.

The clinics initially were held in Columbus but then expanded to other parts of Ohio. After the pandemic hit, all clinics moved to a virtual format, further increasing access for transgender individuals across the state. Cooper said he was most struck by minor clients and their parents—so much so that he partnered with Kaleidoscope Youth Center, a local nonprofit serving LGBTQ youth, to hold minor-targeted clinics. “Seeing parents come in with their kids and support them is really moving,” Cooper said. And he has great respect for minors “who have the courage and persistence to put themselves out there and say, ‘This is who I am.’”

Two of the greatest barriers to name changes for transgender individuals are cost and a lack of information, Cooper explained. He hopes his clinics and others like it are changing that through their guidance and encouragement. “With the right information, and the money to do it, you’ll almost certainly get the name change,” Cooper said. He encourages attorneys around the country who want to help the transgender community to get involved in local name change clinics: “There are clinics like ours in a lot of states, and volunteering at them is a great way for attorneys to make an impact.”

C. Benjamin Cooper is a partner at Cooper Elliott in Columbus, Ohio, and can be reached at benc@cooperelliott.com. Maureen Leddy is an associate editor for Trial.