Estate Planning and Elder Law Attorneys Serving Louisiana Families — All 64 Parishes
We did not set out to be a Baton Rouge firm or a New Orleans firm. We set out to be a Louisiana firm. That distinction matters to us, because the families who need us most are not always the ones who live ten minutes from our office.
When someone in Natchitoches needs help with a succession, or a family in Houma is trying to figure out how to get a parent qualified for Medicaid, they deserve the same level of guidance as anyone who walks through our front door on Government Street. That is why we built our practice to serve every parish in the state — with offices in three cities and the ability to meet by phone or Zoom anywhere in Louisiana.
Most of our initial meetings happen virtually. When it is time to sign your documents, we will sit down with you in person at whichever office works best for your family.
Why It Matters That We Know Louisiana Law
Louisiana is the only state in the country that does not follow English common law. Our legal system comes from French and Spanish civil law traditions, and it creates rules that flat-out do not exist anywhere else in the country.
If you have ever looked up estate planning advice online and felt like none of it quite applied to your situation, that is probably why. Most of what you read was written for the other 49 states.
At our firm, you will never hear us call it probate when we mean succession. You will never get a plan built on out-of-state templates. Everything we do is written for Louisiana families, under Louisiana law, with your specific parish in mind.
A Few Things That Are Different Here
These are some of the Louisiana-specific rules that come up in almost every family we work with:
- Forced heirship — Louisiana law sets aside a portion of your estate for children under 24 and for children with permanent disabilities. It applies regardless of what your will says. Good planning accounts for this without sacrificing what you want.
- Usufruct — This is a Louisiana legal concept that lets a surviving spouse use and benefit from property without actually owning it. It can be a helpful tool, but it needs to be set up carefully — especially in blended families.
- Community property — Most things you acquire during a marriage are owned equally by both spouses under Louisiana law. That affects how you plan your estate and what happens when one spouse passes away.
- Succession — This is what Louisiana calls the process of settling someone’s estate after they die. Other states call it probate. The courts, the rules, and the timeline are all specific to Louisiana.
- Interdiction — When a family member can no longer handle their own affairs, Louisiana uses interdiction — not guardianship. It is a court process, and it requires an attorney who knows how it works in your parish.
Where to Find Us
We have three office locations spread across the state. If you are not near any of them, do not let that stop you. We handle most consultations by phone or Zoom, and we come to you for document signings when needed.
Baton Rouge — Our Main Office
Our Baton Rouge office is at 3956 Government Street, right in the middle of one of the city’s busiest professional corridors. Families come to us from all over the Capital Region — from the Garden District and Spanish Town in the city to Gonzales, Denham Springs, Port Allen, and Zachary in the surrounding area.
If your succession needs to be filed in East Baton Rouge Parish, it goes through the 19th Judicial District Court on St. Louis Street. We know that courthouse well, and we know what local judges and clerks expect. That kind of familiarity makes a difference in how smoothly things move.
We also regularly work with families from Ascension, Livingston, West Baton Rouge, Iberville, Pointe Coupee, and the Feliciana parishes.
- Address: 3956 Government Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70806
- Phone: 225-744-0027
- Parishes served: East Baton Rouge, Ascension, Livingston, West Baton Rouge, Iberville, Pointe Coupee, and surrounding areas
New Orleans — Crescent City Office
Our New Orleans office is at 629 Cherokee Street in the Riverbend neighborhood. It puts us in a good spot to serve families from Uptown, Mid-City, Lakeview, Metairie, and the Garden District, and it is a reasonable drive for families coming from across the lake in Mandeville, Covington, or Slidell.
New Orleans families often come to us with estate planning situations that have a lot of layers. Multi-generational properties that have been passed down for decades, community property complications, family businesses tied to the hospitality or cultural industries — these are situations that need an attorney who actually knows Louisiana succession law, not someone who looked it up the week before your appointment.
Orleans Parish successions go through Orleans Parish Civil District Court, and we are familiar with how that court operates.
- Address: 629 Cherokee Street, New Orleans, LA 70118 (by appointment)
- Parishes served: Orleans, Jefferson, St. Tammany, St. Bernard, Plaquemines, St. Charles, and surrounding areas
Lake Charles — Southwest Louisiana Office
Our Lake Charles office sits on the sixth floor of 1135 Lakeshore Drive, with a view of one of the most recognizable spots in Southwest Louisiana. From here, we serve families throughout Calcasieu Parish and the surrounding Energy Corridor communities — Welsh, Jennings, DeQuincy, Sulphur, and beyond.
Estate planning in Southwest Louisiana comes with some unique considerations. A lot of families here have mineral rights, royalty interests, or working interests in oil and gas operations. Those are real assets with real value, and they need to be handled correctly in a succession — especially when multiple heirs are involved. We understand how those assets work, and we know how to plan around them.
Succession proceedings for Calcasieu Parish families are filed with the 14th Judicial District Court.
- Address: 1135 Lakeshore Drive, Floor 6, Lake Charles, LA 70601 (by appointment)
- Parishes served: Calcasieu, Cameron, Beauregard, Allen, Jefferson Davis, Vermilion, and surrounding areas
We Serve the Whole State — Not Just Our Three Cities
Our three offices give us a strong presence in Baton Rouge, New Orleans, and Lake Charles. But if you live somewhere else, you are not out of luck.
Because most of our Legacy Navigation Meetings happen by Zoom or telephone, families from Shreveport to Houma and from Monroe to Morgan City can meet with our attorneys without driving across the state. If you are ready to move forward and need to sign documents, we will arrange a time to get together in person at whichever office is most convenient for you.
If your community is not listed anywhere on this page, reach out anyway. We serve all 64 Louisiana parishes, and we have experience working with local courts, title companies, and financial institutions all over the state.
Louisiana Regions We Serve
Capital Region
- East Baton Rouge, West Baton Rouge, Ascension, Livingston, Iberville, Pointe Coupee, West Feliciana, East Feliciana, St. Helena
Greater New Orleans and Northshore
- Orleans, Jefferson, St. Tammany, St. Bernard, Plaquemines, St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, Washington, Tangipahoa
Acadiana and the Cajun Coast
- Lafayette, St. Landry, St. Martin, Iberia, Vermilion, Acadia, St. Mary, Assumption, Terrebonne, Lafourche
Southwest Louisiana and the Energy Corridor
- Calcasieu, Cameron, Beauregard, Allen, Jefferson Davis
Central and North Louisiana
- Rapides, Natchitoches, Avoyelles, Grant, Winn, LaSalle, Caldwell, Catahoula, Concordia, Tensas, Franklin, Ouachita, Lincoln, Union, Morehouse, West Carroll, East Carroll, Richland, Madison, Bienville, Claiborne, Jackson, Red River, DeSoto, Sabine, Vernon, Caddo, Bossier, Webster
Why Families Choose Us
There are a lot of attorneys in Louisiana. Most of them handle a little bit of everything. We do not. Estate planning, elder law, and succession are all we do — and we have been doing it for a long time.
Board-Certified Attorneys
Our attorneys are certified by the Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization as Estate Administration Specialists. Fewer than 1% of Louisiana attorneys hold that certification. It is not something you get by attending a seminar. It takes years of demonstrated experience, a rigorous exam, and ongoing education to maintain. When you work with us, you are working with attorneys who have earned that credential.
Nearly 40 Years of Combined Experience
In that time, we have seen what happens when families do not have a plan in place. A succession that should have taken three months stretching into two years. Siblings who stopped speaking over a parent’s estate. A spouse left with a usufruct they did not understand and no idea what to do next. We have also seen how different things look when a family has a good plan. That experience shapes everything we do.
We Do Our Homework Before You Arrive
Before your Legacy Navigation Meeting, your attorney reviews the information you submit on our Legacy Navigation Worksheet. That means your meeting is not spent answering background questions. It is spent on your actual situation — what you need, what your options are, and what makes sense for your family. Most meetings run about an hour to an hour and a half, and families tell us they leave feeling like they finally understand what they are dealing with.
We Know Louisiana — All of It
A family farming in Avoyelles Parish has different estate planning needs than a retiree in Metairie. A family in Terrebonne with waterfront property faces different questions than a business owner in Shreveport. We have worked with families in situations like these all over the state, and we know how to give guidance that actually fits where you live and what you own.
What We Can Help You With
No matter which parish you live in, our full range of services is available to you.
We build plans that work under Louisiana law — accounting for forced heirship, community property, and usufruct. Wills, trusts, powers of attorney, healthcare directives, business succession, and LGBTQ+ estate planning.
Learn More Elder LawWhen a loved one is aging and care costs are mounting, we help families navigate Medicaid rules, VA benefits, and long-term care planning — so good care stays within reach.
Learn More SuccessionWe walk families through the Louisiana succession process from start to finish — court filings, asset transfers, creditor claims, and final distributions — whether the estate is simple or complex.
Learn More InterdictionWhen a family member can no longer make safe decisions, Louisiana's legal answer is interdiction. We handle full and limited proceedings, and help families explore whether a power of attorney can avoid court entirely.
Learn More Special Needs PlanningWe set up special needs trusts and ABLE accounts that let families provide real support without jeopardizing SSI, Medicaid, or other essential benefits their loved one depends on.
Learn MoreQuestions We Hear a Lot
Not for your consultation. We hold most Legacy Navigation Meetings by Zoom or phone, so you can meet with an attorney from your living room. You will need to come in person to sign your documents — that part has to happen in person — but the initial meeting can be done from wherever you are comfortable.
Yes. This is one of the things we get asked most often, and the answer is always the same — we serve all 64 Louisiana parishes. We have clients in communities far from any of our offices. A virtual Legacy Navigation Meeting gives them access to the same attorneys and the same level of preparation as anyone who walks in off the street.
Louisiana calls it succession. Every other state calls it probate. But the differences are more than just the name. Louisiana's civil law system has its own rules around forced heirship, community property, and how estate proceedings work in each parish's district court. An attorney who knows probate in Texas or Georgia does not automatically know how to handle a succession in Louisiana. You need someone who knows this state.
They are the same basic idea — a legal process to protect someone who can no longer manage their own affairs — but Louisiana calls it interdiction and handles it under Louisiana law, which is different from the guardianship laws in other states. There are two types in Louisiana: full interdiction and limited interdiction. Which one is appropriate depends on the person's situation and what they actually need help with.
It is a one-on-one meeting with one of our attorneys. Before you arrive, your attorney reviews the Legacy Navigation Worksheet you submitted, so they already know the basics of your situation when you sit down together. You will not spend the first half of the meeting answering setup questions. Most families spend the time walking through their options and leaving with a clear picture of what makes sense for them. The consultation fee is $450, and it covers the preparation your attorney does before you ever show up.
Ready to Get Started?
If you have been putting off your estate plan because you were not sure where to start — or because you were not sure anyone near you could actually help — this is a good time to reach out. We serve the whole state, most of our initial meetings happen virtually, and our attorneys will come to your appointment already knowing your situation.
Call or email us to set up your Legacy Navigation Meeting. Our Client Services Coordinator will ask a few questions to make sure we are the right fit, and then we will find a time that works for your family.
Email: services@legacycenterla.com
Phone: 225-744-0027