I did mine myself. I didn't use a lawyer since the process was straightforward. You have to pay for the application / filing fee at the County Clerk's office; then putting the first notice (public) in the newspaper in your area that you are changing your name (this step is required before going to court - the filing papers from the court you will receive will tell you what newspaper to put the ad in.) Once you do that and send it to the court, you will get your court date. When you go to court, you will be in front of a judge where you will explain the reason why the name change. After the verdict is given, you will once again put another public notice in the newspaper saying that the new or revised name will be in effect according to the date of the court's judgement. Once that requirement is done, you will received the notarized paperwork with the court seal making it an official document. You will also have to file a copy to the Bureau of Taxation in Trenton within 30 days. I forgot how much the filing fee was, but the ads cost close to 60.00 apiece for a 1"x1" sized ad. Unless you have circumstances that you may need a lawyer, the process is easy. My process took about a month in total. I had to change to my full name, (because my SS card and my Passport is different from my DL and Birth Certificate) so all of my documents match up without issue due to my work.

So I just did a name change for marriage (maiden name to married name) and it was fairly easy. I did the social security office first, then dmv license, then dmv vehicle. Be aware that it takes time in between because neither the SS office nor the dmv will give you printed out cards, you will need to wait for the mail to come in. So for me the entire process took about a month.

I'm not sure about your husband, but where he was born shouldn't matter. It looks like the first thing you should do is reach out to your local town/county clerk's office to see if the marriage certificate should change first. I looked up hyphened names and this was what was suggested:

>If you are unsure, check with your county cleck offices (where you’ll apply for a marriage license) to see what last name change options are accepted in your state. Every state is different and the marriage name change options are constantly changing.

>When you’re applying for your marriage license, tell the county clerk that you would like to hyphenate your last name. This way, your marriage license will be filled out properly if it asks for your desired post-marriage last name.

>Once your wedding is complete, you will receive your marriage certificate which documents that you are your spouse are married.

>Your marriage certificate serves as your legal name change document which you will use throughout your entire name change after marriage process.

Why do you think you need a lawyer for something so basic?

https://www.njcourts.gov/self-help/name-change