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,

Louisiana Law of Usufruct: Full ownership in Louisiana is broken down into three elements: (1) usus which is the right to use or possess a thing; (2) fructus which is the right to the fruits or income of a thing; and (3) abusus which is the right to abuse or dispose of a thing (either physically or juridically). Per La. Civ. Code art. 535, a usufruct is a real right of limited duration on the property of another.  It combines the first two elements of ownership, usus and fructus.  The person who truly owns the property is known as the naked

Five-Star Review! “My father passed away a year ago and my mother needed legal advice regarding their assets. My mother wants to make sure everything is in order when she passes. She did not open a succession after my dad’s passing. Maro Petkovich, Jr. explained her options in terminology that she could understand. She will now be able to make informed decisions regarding disposition of their assets. Mr. Petkovich also assisted my mother with her living will as well as naming medical and general powers of attorney. She now has peace of mind that her wishes will be carried out

Continuing Tutorships and Child Interdictions: A “Continuing Tutorship” is a legal proceeding for special needs children with intellectual disabilities who are age 15, 16, or 17.  The legal standard states that when the child “possesses less than two-thirds of the intellectual functioning of a person of the same age with average intellectual functioning…”  The parents or children usually do not have to make a court appearance.  Based on the documentation given to the court to prove the intellectual disability of the child (usually IEP evaluations/IQ tests, medical and school records), and with the concurrence of the coroner (via a signed

Five-Star Review! “My husband and I were looking for an attorney to make our adoption process as easy and painless as possible and I’m so glad we found Mr. Palmer! He was extremely helpful and very professional. He made this process a breeze. Rebecca was also a huge help! She answered every phone call or email I sent. She was very helpful and detailed and if she wasn’t sure of something she made sure to find out for us. She really put my mind at ease when I was starting to stress or worry too much. I highly recommend this

Self Help Repossession Notices are Often Targeted: The Louisiana Additional Default Remedies Act provides the “self-help” laws permitting creditors to repossess motor vehicles and motorcycles directly.  This is a form of non-judicial repossession that creditors can do themselves.  It can certainly save a creditor some court and legal fees, but certain steps must be carefully followed, especially if the creditor wishes to later pursue a deficiency judgment. Basic Requirements of Repossession Notices: A number of notices or letters must be sent to the debtor in order to properly effect a “self-help” repossession and to later be able to sue the debtor

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

Five-Star Review! “I had a great experience with this office today! They were efficient, respectful, and very friendly staff. I would also like to include that their Legal Assistant Rebecca was extremely kind, informative and professional! An overall wonderful experience with this law office! Great job guys!“ Louisiana Family Law Attorneys: We are a Gretna law firm that has served the New Orleans area since 1980.  Our family law attorneys are highly experienced at handling divorces, custody, child support, alimony, property divisions, pre-nups, paternity, adoptions, protective orders, tutorship, interdictions, and more.  We take pride in offering a personal and trusted experience.  Call us today for a free consultation and find out why so

Five-Star Review! “Rebecca and Maro were so helpful, informative, and caring during this process. They went over every detail and answered all questions we had for them. My family highly recommends Bowes, Petkovich & Palmer“ Louisiana Succession Attorneys: We are a Gretna law firm that has served the New Orleans area since 1980.  Our succession lawyers are highly experienced at handling the probate process.  We take pride in offering a personal and trusted experience.  Call us today for a free consultation and find out why so many of our clients come back to us. Call us today for a free telephone consultation

Five-Star Review! “I had a very good experience with this firm. Everyone was professional and helpful. I will go back for future help.“ Louisiana Estate Planning Attorneys: We are a Gretna law firm that has served the New Orleans area since 1980.  Our estate planning lawyers are highly experienced at drafting wills, powers of attorney, living wills, trusts, and donations.  We take pride in offering a personal and trusted experience.  Call us today for a free consultation and find out why so many of our clients come back to us. Call us today for a free telephone consultation with an estate planning attorney. 504-368-2700