Turned away from 3 solicitors regarding deed poll

[GirlWithTheLionHeart]

So, I printed out the correct documents off gov.uk to add a forename to my sons name and it needs to be signed by a solicitor. Went to 3 separate sooicitors today with the forms, two said they weren't familiar enough and the other said it would cost £250 to do it and be advertised in the London Gazette.

Any advice? Really need it done soon before I get ds' first passport,

If you get a few copies you can send it off to many people at the same time instead of waiting for people to send it back, it's a bit quicker. I had ten done.

The only reason to pay and have it approved by the court is so that a copy will be stored in the National Archives in which case it can be searched for and copies made in the future ( like with birth certificates). The main downside to this is that your name and address details will be printed in the London Gazette, which for those fleeing abusive relationships is generally not desirable.
Otherwise you can do it for free on the website link given above. Don't get fleeced by these sites.
I'm a lawyer btw.

Not my foreign bank demanded a certified copy. My British bank was wary when I asked what they accepted and said it should be certified (I expect I could have argued about this one, but it would have cost me more in time and frustration.

Halifax told me they wanted a certified copy and I asked why they wanted more info than the passport agency and then they couldn't answer that and accepted my 10p library print out.

Still confused as to whether you need a solicitor to do it or not?? Think I'll go through the link that Boom provided as I need a certificate to get his passport done

Legally you don't need a solicitor. And the passport office ought to accept one that you have done yourself.

Thanks, I've just completed that one you linked and should have certificate in a few days :)

Any advice on how to get an 18 month old who can't sit still for a second's passport pic done ?!

18 months sounds hard! Is he mesmerized by TV yet?

Oh yeah definitely! They're just very strict on pictures now so I think I'll take him to snappy snaps or something

I'm so happy my son has my name in his now :)

Did you pay for one?

If so its a massive waste. The Passport don't need a certificated one at all as I stated early they excepted mine that was printed from word.

I took my two year old to Timpsons who guaranteed to redo them if the passport office said they needed to be redone. Cost me about £6

I read all the comments and I would personally choose the middle ground - ordering a deed poll from a website, which will provide me with all the documents I need to fill in, sign and witness, as well as extensive information about the process. Using a solicitor service can be expensive and complete money down the drain! I wound't use a free deed poll website, or do it by myself in "Word" because it won't look professional and if HM Passport Office turn down you application it will take ages.
I am speaking from my own experience, when a friend of mine had similar problem changing her name she used this website - www.ukdeedpolloffice.org/, the service costed her a bit more than £24 because of the additional duplicate copies she ordered.