Your Family Has Something Worth Protecting
New Orleans families know what it means to hold onto something: a home that has been in the family since before anyone can remember, a business on Magazine Street built over decades, a connection to a neighborhood that runs deeper than an address.
Estate planning is how you protect all of it. Not just the property, but the relationships. The decisions about who takes care of the kids. The clarity about what happens to the house when you’re gone. The peace of mind that comes from knowing your family won’t be left guessing.
At Legacy Estate & Elder Law, we help New Orleans families build estate plans that actually work under Louisiana law, which is unlike the law in any other state in the country.
Louisiana Law Is Not Like Other States
If you’ve ever moved to Louisiana from somewhere else, or if you have family members who live outside the state, you’ve probably noticed that things work differently here. That’s because Louisiana’s legal system traces back to the French and Spanish civil codes, not English common law.
For estate planning, that difference matters.
Forced Heirship
In Louisiana, you cannot simply disinherit your children the way you could in Texas or Florida. If your child is 23 or younger, or permanently incapacitated, they are what Louisiana law calls a forced heir. That means a portion of your estate belongs to them by law, regardless of what your will says.
Community Property
Property acquired during a Louisiana marriage generally belongs equally to both spouses. The house you bought together, the savings account, the retirement contributions — even if only one name is on the paperwork. This affects how you can leave those assets and to whom.
Usufruct
Usufruct is a right that gives a surviving spouse the use of property that technically belongs to the children. It’s a uniquely Louisiana concept, and without proper planning, it can create real tension between a surviving parent and adult children down the road.
Getting this right requires an attorney who knows Louisiana law specifically — not just estate planning in general.
Estate Planning Services We Provide to New Orleans Families
Wills and Trusts
A valid will in Louisiana must meet specific formal requirements. It’s called a notarial testament, and it has to be executed properly or it won’t hold up in Civil District Court for Orleans Parish. We prepare wills that are built to last.
For families who want to keep things out of court entirely, a revocable living trust can transfer your assets directly to your beneficiaries after your death — without succession proceedings. We help you understand whether a will, a trust, or both makes sense for your family.
Powers of Attorney
If you become incapacitated and you haven’t signed a durable power of attorney, your family will need to go to court to get the legal authority to help you. In Louisiana, that process is called interdiction, and it can take months and cost thousands of dollars.
A power of attorney is the straightforward alternative. You name someone you trust to handle your financial affairs if you can’t. We prepare these for New Orleans families as a core part of every estate plan.
Healthcare Directives
New Orleans is home to some of the state’s best medical facilities — Tulane Medical Center, Ochsner Medical Center, University Medical Center, Children’s Hospital. But if you’re admitted and you cannot communicate, someone needs legal authority to make decisions for you.
A healthcare power of attorney gives that authority to the person you choose. A living will tells doctors and family members your wishes about end-of-life treatment. A HIPAA authorization allows your family to access your medical information. We prepare all three as part of your complete plan.
Business Succession Planning
New Orleans has a culture of family business. Restaurants, real estate, music venues, hospitality, professional practices — many of the most meaningful enterprises in this city have been passed from one generation to the next. We help business owners Uptown, in the CBD, in Metairie, and across the metro area plan for what comes next.
Business succession planning addresses who takes over, how the transition happens, and how to minimize estate taxes along the way. We work through the details so your business survives the transition instead of getting tied up in court.
Estate Tax Planning
Most estates don’t owe federal estate taxes — but for those that might, careful planning can preserve a significant amount. We help New Orleans families with larger or more complex estates structure things in a way that keeps more in the family.
LGBTQ+ Estate Planning
New Orleans has long been a city where all kinds of families feel at home. At Legacy Estate & Elder Law, we work with every kind of family, and we know that LGBTQ couples and individuals face planning considerations that standard documents often overlook. We make sure your plan protects the people who matter to you, full stop.
Who We Serve Across the New Orleans Area
Our New Orleans office is at 629 Cherokee Street and can be visited by appointment. But if you prefer, we can conduct yourM initial meetings over Zoom or by phone — so wherever you are in the metro area, getting started is easy. We serve families throughout:
- Orleans Parish — Uptown, Mid-City, Lakeview, Gentilly, the Bywater, Marigny, New Orleans East
- Jefferson Parish — Metairie, Kenner, Gretna, Marrero
- St. Tammany Parish — Covington, Mandeville, Slidell
- St. Bernard Parish — Chalmette, Meraux
- Plaquemines Parish — Belle Chasse
- St. Charles Parish — Luling, Boutte, Destrehan
We serve families throughout Louisiana who need board-certified estate planning guidance — wherever they are.
What Working With Us Looks Like
We start with a Legacy Navigation Meeting. You’ll speak directly with one of our attorneys — not a case manager or a paralegal. Before you even come to that meeting, your attorney will have reviewed your information and prepared specific recommendations for your situation.
The consultation has a fee because we do real preparation work beforehand. That time is yours. We’re not gathering basic information while you wait. We’re already moving when you walk in.
At the close of the meeting, you’ll receive a clear plan recommendation and a quote. No pressure, no upsell. Just an honest assessment of what your family needs.
Why New Orleans Families Choose Legacy Estate & Elder Law
Our attorneys are board certified in Estate Planning and Administration by the Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization, a credential held by fewer than one percent of attorneys in the state. That means our knowledge of Louisiana law has been tested and verified at the highest level.
We have nearly 40 years of combined experience. We are members of ElderCounsel, the American College of Trust & Estate Counsel, and the Academy of Special Needs Planners.
But the real reason families come back and refer their friends and neighbors is simpler than credentials. We take the time to understand your family. We explain things clearly. We make a process that most people find intimidating feel manageable. That’s what we’re here for. on getting it right…tell us is that we explain things clearly, we’re easy to reach, and we treat their plan like it matters. That’s how we’ve built our reputation — and how we intend to keep it.