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Louisiana follows the "reasonable compensation" standard for trusteesLa. Rev. Stat. § 9:2181Verified May 31, 2026. Courts decide what's reasonable on a case-by-case basis, looking at trust size, complexity, and the trustee's actual work. Family-member trustees often waive the fee entirely. Professional trustees (banks, trust companies, attorneys) typically charge between 0.5% and 1.5% of trust assets per year, with corporate fiduciaries usually applying minimum annual fees. The Louisiana trustee compensation calculator breaks it down by trust situation.
Trust administration in Louisiana is typically faster than probate because trusts don't require court supervision. The main floor is the creditor claim period — 3 months in Louisiana — during which the trustee can't safely make final distributions. Simple trusts often wrap up in 6-9 months; trusts that hold business interests, real property in multiple states, or that need to file estate tax returns can take longer. See the Louisiana trustee checklist for the full process.
Estate planning attorneys in Louisiana average $337 per hourClio Legal Trends Report 2025Verified Jan 1, 2025 for wills and estates work. Flat-fee packages run roughly $1,011–$2,022 for a simple individual will and $2,470–$3,705 for a basic revocable trust. Online and DIY services cost $30–$300 for the same documents — see the will cost calculator for a side-by-side comparison.
Louisiana has a generous small-estate threshold of $125,000. Estates under that line can use the Small Succession procedure, which is a form rather than a court case — most families can handle it without an attorney. For estates above the threshold, formal probate generally benefits from counsel because of the procedural overhead, even when nothing is contested. The Louisiana probate calculator estimates total costs based on estate value.
In Louisiana, the situations where retaining counsel is typically worth the cost are: blended families with children from prior relationships (community property rules can produce surprising outcomes); ownership of a business, rental property, or significant investment assets; special-needs dependents who need a special-needs trust to preserve benefits; substantial property held in multiple states. If none of these describe your situation, the simpler online and DIY tools are often enough.
Search 3,941 estate law firms across 51 states.
Firm listings are for informational purposes only. SimplyTrust does not endorse or recommend any specific firm or attorney. Contact firms directly to discuss your situation and verify their current practice areas and availability.
7 firms
Monroe firm with over 100 years of combined legal experience offering estate planning and probate services including succession administration, trust formation and management, and estate planning throughout Northeast Louisiana.
Location
1811 Tower Drive, Suite DMonroe, LA 71201
Phone
(318) 333-0377
Service Area
5 counties
Handles successions, estates, and probate matters throughout Orleans Parish and surrounding Louisiana parishes including Jefferson, St. Tammany, St. John the Baptist, Lafourche, and Terrebonne parishes.
Location
2121 N Causeway Blvd., Suite 200Metairie, LA 70001
Phone
(504) 561-8700
Service Area
6 counties
Alexandria estate planning firm founded by Charles D. Elliott, who has practiced law since 1993 after graduating with honors from LSU Law School. The firm handles estate planning, succession administration, and estate litigation including disputes involving trusts, wills, fraudulent conveyances, and fiduciary removal.
Location
720 Murray StreetAlexandria, LA 71301
Phone
(318) 266-7937
Service Area
3 counties
Handles Louisiana successions and trust litigation from its Metairie office, serving the New Orleans area and out-of-state heirs with Louisiana property through ancillary successions. Manages testate and intestate successions, contested wills, usufruct disputes, and creditor claims for executors and heirs. Led by board-certified estate administration specialist Beau P. Sagona.
Location
3027 Ridgelake DrMetairie, LA 70002
Phone
(504) 837-1230
Established
1995
Service Area
3 counties
Established in 1937, Jones Walker is the largest law firm in New Orleans with more than 150 attorneys. The Estate Planning & Administration team advises clients on wills, trusts, estate and gift tax planning, asset valuations, and business succession planning. Multiple attorneys are board-certified Estate Planning and Administration Specialists.
Location
201 Saint Charles AvenueNew Orleans, LA 70170
Phone
(504) 582-8000
Established
1937
Service Area
Statewide
With nearly 50 years of experience, Rankin, Yeldell, Katz & Lowery provides estate planning and succession services throughout Northeast Louisiana including Ouachita Parish. The firm administers trusts and estates and shepherds estates through probate.
Location
411 South Washington StreetBastrop, LA 71220
Phone
(318) 239-4364
Service Area
9 counties
A trusted source of succession and estate legal representation for New Orleans families since 1958. The Estate Planning and Probate Group has extensive experience handling trust and estate disputes.
Location
400 Poydras Street, Suite 2550New Orleans, LA 70130
Phone
(504) 582-1500
Established
1958
Service Area
2 counties