Author: Mitchell A. Palmer

The Louisiana Interdiction Process Explained: What is Interdiction? Interdiction is similar to guardianship and continuing tutorship.  It’s an order from the court that gives you, or someone else, the legal right to make decisions for your adult child or relative. Interdiction is only for people who do not have the mental capacity to care for themselves or make their own decisions.  This is the last option to consider because it takes away a person’s legal rights to make decisions about their life.  It is the most restrictive option. The court will name a curator (guardian) to take care of your adult child

Important Changes to Child Custody Laws Regarding Evaluations and Parent Courses at the Election of the Court: The last legislative session produced a number of changes in this area of the law.  These changes could affect your case or future case when it comes to child custody determinations.  It is important that you confer with knowledgeable legal counsel so that you can explore the ins and outs of these new changes in the law, to assist your case.   Changes to Child Custody Laws: La. R.S. 9:331. Custody or visitation proceeding; evaluation by licensed mental health professional A.  The court may order an

Matrimonial Agreements & Louisiana Law: Many people use the term “prenuptial agreement” to refer to what the Louisiana Civil Code terms a “matrimonial agreement.”  Use of this term “prenuptial agreement” can be misleading though since a matrimonial agreement can actually be entered into before or after a couple exchanges nuptial vows. In order to more fully understand matrimonial agreements, it is first necessary to define the legal term “matrimonial regime.”  The Louisiana Civil Code provides that “[a] matrimonial regime is a system of principles governing the ownership and management of the property of married persons as between themselves and towards

The Impact of Parental Alienation on Child Custody: When one parent manipulates a child to reject the other, it can have negative emotional and psychological effects on both the estranged parent and the child. What is Parental Alienation? A type of emotional child abuse known as parental alienation occurs when one parent consciously damages the child’s bond with the other parent.  It frequently entails persistently disparaging the targeted parent, restricting contact or access, and interfering with the child’s ability to communicate with the alienated parent. This conduct hampers a child’s emotional growth, causing them great distress. Signs of Parental Alienation:

When to Use an Expert Divorce Financial Analyst for a Community Property Partition: Are you considering divorce?  Obviously, this step requires careful consideration of property issues and the best approaches for same.  There are many things that you need to think about before you decide on your final move.  One of them will certainly be the state of your finances.  No one wants to leave a marriage bankrupt. Our firm works with a few of the very best forensic accountants and financial experts in the region to best maximize your results in all aspects of community property partition.  Here is

Issues to Consider Regarding Finances in Divorce: Generally speaking, a divorce will have a profound impact on your finances both now and in the future.  As Louisiana is a community property state, all property is presumed to be community unless proven otherwise, meaning essentially half of your net worth could be exposed via trial or in a final settlement.  Furthermore, you might also be responsible for paying a joint debt that you didn’t know about or play a role in accruing. Tips for Paying Off Joint Debts When a Marriage Ends: It might be in your best interest to make

Louisiana Grandparent Visitation and Custody Considerations: If your grandchildren live with you already or you have concerns about their home life, you may want to seek legal custody or visitation.  Louisiana allows grandparents to take this step in certain situations.  Review the factors that affect grandparent visitation and custody before moving forward with this process.  Circumstances Warranting Grandparent Visitation: One can petition a Louisiana court in the parish where your grandchild lives for legal visitation if:  Your grandchild’s parents have divorced or lived apart for at least six months; One or both of your grandchild’s parents has died, gone to prison,

What is Child Support in Louisiana? Child support is a court-ordered amount that the non-custodial parent must pay to the custodial parent to cover a proportionate amount of the child’s expenses, including housing and utilities, food, clothing, and education expenses. Both parents have an obligation to support their children after a divorce. State laws differ greatly as to how courts calculate child support payments. Louisiana long has recognized and credited the custodial parent’s day-to-day care as a significant portion of the support obligation. Child support orders may be modified only by another court order and usually depend on the amount

The Importance of Domiciliary Parent Status: Louisiana provides joint custody of children between the mother and father in most situations. Joint custody is presumed by the courts to be in the best interest of the children and is awarded regularly. Sole custody can be awarded but is much less common than joint custody in Louisiana unless there is an extenuating circumstance leading to the need for sole custody.   While joint custody may be favored by the Louisiana court system, it does not mean, however, that both parents will exercise equal physical time with the children. In the majority of cases,