Legal and Business Implications of Chaning Your Name

[FONT=Georgia]Hello everyone.

For a long Time now I’ve been considering changing my name to my mother’s maiden name (long story).

I was wondering what unforeseen legal impacts I’d need to deal with? Perhaps ladies out there who’ve taken on their husbands’ names could advise?

What happens to contracts or agreements I’m already in? Would I need to get each of them redrawn, or is there a way around it (perhaps some kind of affidavit)?

Also my business is registered as a sole-tradership under my current name. Could that be a problem?

For those who’ve done it, was the marketing/networking aspect a big challenge, or not that big a deal? For example, I could imagine calling up an old contact using a new name could start the conversation off a little awkwardly.

I understand I’d need to sit with an actual, local lawyer at some point. Just asking to get my bearing for now.

Thanks for your input guys![/FONT]