Baton Rouge estate and elder law firm established in 2002, with New Orleans and Lake Charles offices, serving every Louisiana parish. Handles simple and administered successions, small-succession affidavits, trust administration and interdictions. Founder Linda S. Melancon is board certified in Estate Planning and Administration; consultations carry a $450 fee and mostly run by Zoom or phone.
New Orleans is in Orleans Parish.
Probate in Orleans Parish
Probate Court Record
Orleans Parish Civil District Court
Orleans Parish · Orleans Parish Civil District
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-5:00 PM
Office
421 Loyola Avenue, Room 402, New Orleans, LA 70112
Website
E-filing
Filing in person
Walk-ins accepted
Self-represented filing
Allowed
Self-help forms
How to file probate in Orleans Parish →
Verified October 15, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Orleans Parish? →Settling an estate in Orleans Parish →
Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in Louisiana
Free Louisiana forms to plan or settle an estate: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed and the probate forms. Prepare each form for Louisiana.
Free
Last Will and Testament
In Louisiana, a will is signed before 2La. C.C. Art. 1576Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses and a notaryLa. C.C. Art. 1576Verified Oct 18, 2026View source, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyLa. C.C. Art. 1576Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.
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Free
Healthcare Power of Attorney
Louisiana requires 2La. R.S. 40:1151.2Verified Oct 15, 2026View source witnesses for a healthcare power of attorney; notarization is not requiredLa. R.S. 40:1151.2Verified Oct 15, 2026View source.
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Financial Power of Attorney
Louisiana treats a power of attorney as durable by defaultLa. C.C. Art. 2989-2997 (mandate), Art. 3021 (putative mandatary), Art. 3024-3027 (termination/durability/revocation), Art. 1833 (authentic act), Art. 1839 + Art. 3338 (immovable transfers; recordation), Art. 1927 (acceptance), Art. 29 (majority), Art. 3537-3541 (conflicts; Art. 3538 form); La. R.S. 9:3890 (conditional/springing procuration); La. R.S. 6:311.1 (financial institution written-notice protection)Verified Sep 18, 2026View source, and it is signed with no witness or notary requirementLa. C.C. Art. 2989-2997 (mandate), Art. 3021 (putative mandatary), Art. 3024-3027 (termination/durability/revocation), Art. 1833 (authentic act), Art. 1839 + Art. 3338 (immovable transfers; recordation), Art. 1927 (acceptance), Art. 29 (majority), Art. 3537-3541 (conflicts; Art. 3538 form); La. R.S. 9:3890 (conditional/springing procuration); La. R.S. 6:311.1 (financial institution written-notice protection)Verified Sep 18, 2026View source.
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Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in Louisiana
Free calculators and checklists to plan or settle an estate in Louisiana: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay and taxes. Run each tool for Louisiana.
How Much Life Insurance Do I Need?
In Louisiana, four years at a public university cost about $85,048NCES Digest of Education Statistics 2023, Table 330.20, public 4-year in-state tuition, fees, room and board, academic year 2022-23Verified Oct 17, 2026View source and the cost of living is 12% below the U.S. averageBEA Regional Price Parities, all items, by state, 2024Verified Oct 17, 2026View source; no state estate or inheritance tax appliesNo state death tax due. Inheritance tax repealed (La. R.S. 47:2401, "Repealed by Acts 2008, No. 822, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2010"). Estate transfer tax (La. R.S. 47:2431–2437) remains codified but is pegged to the IRC § 2011 state death tax credit, so no estate transfer tax is due for deaths after December 31, 2004Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.
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What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?
An attorney-prepared revocable trust in Louisiana runs $2,470Estimate: 10 hours at $247, Clio's Louisiana Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $3,705Estimate: 15 hours at $247, Clio's Louisiana Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source and a simple will $1,011Estimate: 3 hours at $337, Clio's Louisiana Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $2,022Estimate: 6 hours at $337, Clio's Louisiana Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.
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Who Inherits Without a Will?
Louisiana is a community property state, so the surviving spouse already owns half of what the couple acquired during the marriage. Without a will in Louisiana, descendants divide what passes to them per stirpesLa. Civ. Code arts. 882, 885, 888Verified Oct 21, 2026View source, and the state sets no survival period for heirs.
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