Category Archives: Successions & Probate
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…
Can I Leave Everything to My Spouse in Louisiana?
A lot of married people assume the answer is yes. In Louisiana, the answer is sometimes yes, but not always. If your goal is to take care of your spouse, a Baton Rouge estate planning…
What a Surviving Spouse Needs to Know When There Is No Will in Louisiana
When a spouse dies without a will in Louisiana, the surviving husband or wife is often left facing two challenges at once: grief and uncertainty, along with confusion about what the law actually provides. Many…
What Should You Bring to a Succession Consultation in Louisiana?
A lot of families wait too long to schedule a consultation because they think they need to have everything perfectly organized first. You do not. But if you are meeting with a Baton Rouge succession…
Can You Sell a House Before a Succession Is Completed in Louisiana?
This question comes up all the time. The family wants to sell the house, but they are not sure whether they can do that before the succession is completed. In many cases, the answer is…
When a Louisiana Succession Turns Contradictory: What Changes Once There Is a Real Fight?
A succession usually begins as an ex parte administration problem. It becomes a litigation problem when a disputed factual issue emerges – for example, who the heirs are, whether the testament is valid, whether a…
How Do You Prove Heirship in a Louisiana Succession?
Heirship may feel obvious inside a family, but in court it still must be proved. Louisiana procedure allows the deceased’s death, marriage, and the facts necessary to establish the relationship of heirs to be proved…
How Much Does a Succession Cost in Louisiana?
When a loved one dies, one of the first questions families ask is how much the legal process is going to cost. If you are trying to understand what to expect, a Baton Rouge succession…
What Court Opens a Louisiana Succession – and What Happens If It’s Filed in the Wrong Parish?
A proceeding to open a succession must be brought in the district court of the parish where the deceased was domiciled at the time of death. If the deceased was not domiciled in Louisiana, the…
Louisiana Succession Explained – What Heirs Need to Know
Understanding Succession in Louisiana In most states, when someone passes away, their property goes through probate. But in Louisiana, we call this process a succession - and it follows our unique civil-law system, not the…
