Morgan Field
LATEST ARTICLES BY: Morgan Field
What Out-of-State Families Need to Know About Louisiana Successions
Families are often surprised to learn that handling part of an estate in another state does not always solve the Louisiana side of the problem. If the person who died owned Louisiana property, there may…
Forced Heirship Deep Dive: Who Qualifies, When Representation Matters, and Why the Date of Death Controls
Forced heirship in Louisiana begins with Article 1493. Today, the category generally includes descendants of the first degree who are twenty-three years of age or younger at the decedent’s death and descendants of the first…
What Is Succession Litigation in Louisiana, and When Does a Family Need It?
Many successions are routine. Some are not. A succession becomes litigation when there is a real dispute that cannot be resolved through ordinary administration. That may mean a fight over a will, over who the…
Can a Will Be Invalidated in Louisiana? What Courts Actually Look At
When families start asking whether a will can be thrown out, the real question is whether the document should control what happens to the estate. In Louisiana, courts do not invalidate wills just because someone…
Can a Louisiana Will Be Defended in Court? What Happens When Someone Tries to Break It
A will contest does not always mean the will is weak. Sometimes the will is valid, the evidence is strong, and the people receiving under the document need counsel prepared to defend it. In Louisiana,…
What a Surviving Spouse Actually Gets in an Intestate Louisiana Succession
A surviving spouse in Louisiana is an intestate successor, but that does not mean the spouse automatically receives everything when there is no will. The starting point is Article 880, which directs that in the…
Why Some Baton Rouge Families Still End Up in Succession Even When They Thought They Planned Ahead
A lot of families believe they have planned ahead, only to discover after a death that they still need a succession. That can be frustrating, especially when the family thought a will, a trust, or…
What Happens to a Louisiana LLC When the Owner Dies?
A business owner may spend years building a company and never think seriously about what happens if they die unexpectedly. That is a mistake. A Baton Rouge business succession lawyer can help make sure the…
Is a Louisiana Notarial Testament Really Self-Proving? Not Always After the 2025 Change
Not every notarial testament is now self-proving merely because it is called notarial. After Act 30 of 2025, a notarial testament executed under Civil Code article 1576 is self-proving only if it is signed on…
If You Find a Will and Think It’s Invalid, Do You Still Have to File It?
Yes. Louisiana now states the rule directly. If a person has possession of a document purporting to be the testament of a deceased person, that person must present the document to the court for filing…
