Louisiana follows the reasonable-compensation standard for trusteesLa. Rev. Stat. § 9:2181Verified Sep 18, 2026View source. A court decides what is reasonable case by case, on the trust's size, its complexity and the trustee's actual work. A family-member trustee often waives the fee. A professional trustee (a bank, a trust company, an attorney) typically charges 0.5% to 1.5% of trust assets a year, and a corporate fiduciary applies an annual minimum. The Louisiana trustee compensation calculator breaks it down by trust situation.
Trust administration in Louisiana is typically faster than probate because a trust needs no court supervision. There is no court-supervised creditor period — the trustee distributes once known debts are settled, subject to Louisiana's general limitations period. A simple trust often wraps up in six to nine months; a trust holding a business interest, real property in more than one state, or one that files an estate tax return takes longer. The Louisiana trust settlement plan carries the full process.
Estate planning attorneys in Louisiana average $337Clio Legal Trends Report 2025Verified Jul 1, 2026View source an hour for wills and estates work. A flat-fee package runs $1,011Clio Legal Trends Report 2025Verified Jul 1, 2026View source to $2,022Clio Legal Trends Report 2025Verified Jul 1, 2026View source for a simple individual will and $2,470Clio Legal Trends Report 2025Verified Jul 1, 2026View source to $3,705Clio Legal Trends Report 2025Verified Jul 1, 2026View source for a basic revocable trust. An online service prices the same documents in the tens to low hundreds of dollars; the Louisiana will cost calculator sets the two side by side.
In Louisiana, estates valued at $200,000La. C.C.P. art. 3421Verified Sep 8, 2026View source or less skip probate with the Small Succession AffidavitLa. C.C.P. art. 3421Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. That route is a form rather than a court case, and most families handle it without an attorney. Above the line, formal probate generally benefits from counsel for the procedural work, even when nothing is contested. The Louisiana probate calculator estimates the cost by estate value.
In Louisiana, the situations where counsel is typically worth the cost are: a blended family with children from a prior relationship (community property rulesLa. Civ. Code arts. 880-902Verified Sep 10, 2026View source can produce a surprising split); a business, rental property or significant investment assets; a dependent with special needs, who needs a special-needs trust to keep benefits; substantial property in more than one state. Where none of these apply, an online or self-help document is often enough.
Free Louisiana forms for planning an estate or settling one: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed, and the probate forms an executor files.
Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.
In Louisiana, a pour-over will is signed before 2La. C.C. Art. 1576Verified Sep 16, 2026View source witnesses and a notaryLa. C.C. Art. 1576Verified Sep 16, 2026View source and moves anything left outside the trust into it through probate.
Free calculators and checklists for planning or settling an estate in Louisiana: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay, and inheritance taxes.
Settling a trust in Louisiana happens outside court: the trustee acts under the state's trust statuteLa. R.S. 9:1721 et seq.Verified Jul 15, 2026View source, notifies the beneficiaries, then pays the debts and distributes under the trust's terms.
In Louisiana, trustee compensation follows "reasonable compensation" (UTC § 708 or equivalent)La. Rev. Stat. § 9:2181Verified Sep 18, 2026View source unless the trust instrument sets a different amount.
Settling an estate in Louisiana: creditors have 3 monthsLa. C.C.P. arts. 3241-3249, 3301-3308; La. C.C. art. 3276Verified Sep 15, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 3 months to 6 months.
Louisiana requires a final state income tax return for the decedent alongside the federal Form 1040La. R.S. 47:32(A); La. R.S. 47:294; Acts 2024, 3rd Ex. Sess., No. 11 (HB 10)Verified Sep 20, 2026View source; a federal estate tax return (Form 706) is required only for estates above $15,000,00026 USC 2001(c), 2010; P.L. 119-21 §70106Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.
Inherited assets in Louisiana take a basis reset to fair market value on the date of death26 USC § 1014Verified Sep 15, 2026View source, and the gain on a later sale faces ordinary income tax at the state's regular ratesLa. R.S. 47:32(A) — flat 3% individual rate (Acts 2024, 3rd Ex. Sess., No. 11, §§2, 4, eff. Dec. 4, 2024)Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.
7 trust administration firms in Louisiana, by county and firm type.
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.
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7 firms
FirmMonroe, LA
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.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbate
FirmMetairie, LA
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.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder LawMedicaid Planning
FirmAlexandria, LA
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.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationTrust Litigation
FirmMetairie, LA
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.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateSuccession LitigationWills Trusts
FirmNew Orleans, LA
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.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 4 more
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.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateWills Trusts
FirmNew Orleans, LA
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.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateSuccession LitigationWills Trusts