Wills, Probate, Successions
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Advanced Directives for Mental Health Treatment
A Guide to Advance Directives and Power of Attorney on Mental Health Treatment and Mental Health Law. Mental Health Law is a specialized set of laws that can be found in the Louisiana Revised Statues (La. R.S. 28:1-28:213). It does not contain a specific definition for mental illness, but does define a “Mentally ill person” as any person with a psychiatric disorder which has substantial adverse effects on his/her ability to function and who requires care and treatment.
Calculating Estate Value and How to Create a Descriptive List
This resource covers the process for calculating the value of an estate. This includes information about how to create a descriptive list of all assets in the estate. This information can get used as part of the documents needed to collect to file a succession.
Debts and Successions
This resource is about when a person dies, how creditors can hold the estate responsible for paying outstanding debts. Creditors may be able to collect payment for outstanding debts of beneficiaries from the distributions they get or from the executor/administrator for the estate.
Dividing Property Without a Will - Intestate Successions
This resource covers the law of intestacy or what happens to a person's estate when they die without a will. This covers the law to determine whether a successor has the right to inherit. It also covers what family or partner relationships affect this division. This resource covers the division of an estate under different kinds of marriage. In Louisiana, the presumption is community property.
Heirship in Successions
If a person dies without a will, i.e. intestate, then the estate gets distributed according to Louisiana law. How property gets divided intestate gets based on the classification of the property. Then the order of succession determines how the property gets left to relatives. This resource goes over the laws that relate to how property gets divided intestate. It includes what the order of succession might be if a person dies without a will.
Inheritance & Estate Transfer Taxes in Successions
This resource covers how estate and inheritance taxes affect a decedent's estate. This covers how estate and/or inheritance taxes might get calculated and paid out of the estate. It also covers what deductions and benefits might reduce the taxes owed.
Inheriting an Interest in a Lease
This guide discusses the basic rights and responsibilities of people that inherit an interest in a lease. It includes information for both people that inherit an interest as a renter and a landlord.
Introduction to Successions
This resource includes issues around wills, successions, and other estate issues. After a person's death, people must go through the succession process. There are general property successions and small property affidavit successions. Small property affidavit successions can avoid some burdensome processes and other fees. Find information for the type of property included and where to file the succession.
Legal Competency - The Legal Status of Helping Someone Make Decisions
When someone needs help to take care of themselves, who can step in? How do you do it? What's the result?
Legal Guide to Wills
After a person's death - the person's property and responsibilities can get planned for. This resource covers how plans for how the property and responsibilities get divided. This includes how property might get divided among spouses, family, or other persons. This covers how a will can get written in a valid way to give a specific plan for property after death.
Preparing for a Disaster
It is important to plan ahead for disasters. The more you prepare ahead for a disaster, the faster and easier it may be to recover. If you are experiencing the effects of a disaster, you may face different legal problems. This includes information for how to prepare in advance for a disaster and for disaster survivors. A disaster event requires immediate attention and quick remedial action. A disaster involves injury, loss of life, damage to property, or catastrophic interference with normal activities. This information includes how to prepare to deal with sudden, unexpected, or impending situations where a disaster may occur.
Protect Your Property: Heir Property in Louisiana
How homeowners can build wealth and protect their assets
Public Benefits and Effects on Inheritances in Successions
Many individuals who live with a disability or receive help from governmental programs. This may include Medicaid and Supplemental Social Security Income (SSI). This goes over information about inheritances that a beneficiary might get as a large sum. This resource goes over access to governmental programs the beneficiary received after an inheritance.
Representing Yourself in Court: Your Rights and Responsibilities
Tips if you must handle your legal issue on your own without a lawyer. This document is strictly for informational purposes, it does not include legal advice.
Small Succession Guided Assistant
This Guided Assistant tool can help you: (1) determine if you qualify for a Small Succession, and if so, (2) complete the paperwork required to file a Louisiana Small Succession Affidavit. This tool is not legal advice. This tool does not not take the place of legal advice from a competent attorney licensed in your state and familiar with the law and facts of your legal issue.
Successions Dictionary
A plain-language guide to legal terms, definitions, and processes used in understanding successions in Louisiana. This includes legal issues around wills, powers of attorney, advance directives, trusts, guardianships, conservatorships, and other estate/succession issues families deal with. Click on each term to see a summary of the definition. Find links to greater in-depth information explaining more complicated issues in successions.
Your Guide to a Louisiana General Property Succession
This resource includes issues around wills, successions, and other estate issues. After a person's death, people must go through the succession process. There are general property successions and small property affidavit successions. Small property affidavit successions are for estates with a valued $125,000 or less. A general property succession is for an estate valued more than $125,000. This explains a general property succession, including how to file a succession.
Your Guide to a Louisiana Small Succession Affidavit
A small succession affidavit can get used to handle and distribute assets of a decedent. The decedent must have died without a will. The estate must also be of value of $125,000 or less. The legal process allows an heir to bypass probate, which involves going to court. It allows the transfer of estate property and assets by a less complicated procedure. Here, if there is a right to a decedent's property, then you can file an affidavit of small succession.