def simplify_person_name( name ):
    """
    Simpify a name to a last name only. Titles such as Ph. D. will be removed first.
    
    Arguments:
    name -- The name to shorten
    """
    
    if name is not None:
        new_name = name.replace("Ph.D.", "").replace("Ph. D.", "").replace("M.A.", "").replace("LL.D.", "").replace("A.M.", "").replace("Esq.", "").replace(",", "").strip()
        
        return new_name.split(" ")[-1]
        
    else:
        return name