Hiring a Business Lawyer in Louisiana
How to form an LLC in Louisiana, the state fees and yearly filings, how to check a lawyer's license, and the state bar's fee rules. We do not recommend or rank lawyers.
What a lawyer costs in Louisiana: fee rules
| Rules on contingency fees | Contingent fees are allowed except where Rule 1.5(d) or other law prohibits them. The agreement must be in a writing signed by the client, and the client must get a copy or duplicate original when it is signed. It must state how the fee is figured, including percentages on settlement, trial or appeal, the litigation and other expenses deducted from the recovery, whether expenses come out before or after the fee is calculated, and any expenses the client owes whether or not they win. At the end, the lawyer must give a written statement of the outcome and the client's share. Contingent fees are banned for criminal defendants and for domestic relations fees contingent on a divorce or the amount of alimony, support or property settlement. |
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| If you disagree with a lawyer's bill | The Louisiana State Bar Association's Lawyer Fee Dispute Resolution Program handles minor attorney fee disputes between lawyers and clients (or between lawyers) through volunteer arbitrators. The LSBA charges a nominal administrative fee and may decline disputes that are too complex, involve many issues or parties, are pending elsewhere, or fall under a statutory scheme such as succession or workers' compensation. LSBA staff cannot give legal advice. Contact: (504) 619-0153 or (504) 619-0143. |
| If a lawyer takes your money | The LSBA Client Assistance Fund compensates clients who lose money or property due to a lawyer's dishonest conduct (not incompetence or failure to act), reimbursing up to $50,000 for thefts by a lawyer; interest and consequential damages are not paid, and fees are reimbursable only in limited cases, such as when the lawyer did no work. You must show the money or property reached the lawyer. Applying is free and no lawyer is needed; deadlines apply, so apply promptly. The fund also advises filing a complaint with the Office of Disciplinary Counsel. Contact: 601 St. Charles Ave., New Orleans, LA 70130-3427; (504) 566-1600 or (800) 421-5722, ext. 107. |
Louisiana rules to know first
| How to form an LLC | File Articles of Organization (Form 365) together with the LLC Initial Report (Form 973) with the Louisiana Secretary of State's Commercial Division. The articles cannot be accepted unless the Initial Report is also filed. The Initial Report lists the registered office, registered agent(s) and first managers or members, and includes an affidavit in which each registered agent accepts the appointment before a notary. Filings can be made online through geauxBIZ, by mail, by fax, or in person; businesses in certain parishes (including East Baton Rouge, Jefferson, Orleans and others listed on the form) must file available documents online through geauxBIZ. On filing, the office issues a certificate of organization. |
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| LLC filing fee | The filing fee for Articles of Organization for a Louisiana LLC (Form 365) is $125. Optional faster service costs extra: $35 for "expedite" (processed within 24 hours) or $60 for "priority expedite" (processed while you wait). Credit card payments carry an additional $5 statutory convenience fee. The Secretary of State says Commercial Division fees increased effective October 1, 2026 under Act 921 of the 2026 Regular Session; the amounts here are from the current schedule. |
| Registered agent | Every business registered with the Secretary of State must have an agent with a physical address in Louisiana (a municipal address, not just a post office box). The Secretary of State says an agent can be almost anyone of legal age who is a legal resident of Louisiana, such as an organizer, a member, an employee, an attorney or an accountant. To change the agent or registered office, file Change of Registered Office or Agent (Form 983); the fee is $30. |
| Annual report | A Louisiana LLC must file an annual report with the Secretary of State on or before the anniversary date of its organization each year, listing its registered office, registered agent(s) and managers or members. The fee is $35. The report must be filed every year even if nothing has changed, and can be filed online. If the LLC receives a Notice of Intent to Revoke, it must file the annual report within 30 days of the notice (60 days for a foreign LLC) or its charter will be revoked, and reinstatement fees are significantly higher. |
| Closing an LLC | An LLC that is no longer doing business, owes no debts and owns no immovable property can dissolve by filing an Affidavit to Dissolve (Form 368), signed before a notary by all members (or all organizers if no membership interests were issued); the fee is $125. An LLC that still has debts, assets or immovable property must use the longer dissolution process ($125 filing fee for dissolutions). |
Find and check a lawyer
| Lawyer referral service | The Louisiana State Bar Association's Find Legal Help portal does not describe a statewide LSBA referral line; its Find an Attorney directory can locate a local lawyer referral program for certain cities, and its Modest Means Directory lists attorneys who charge reduced fees to people who meet income requirements. LSBA phone: (800) 421-LSBA (5722) or (504) 566-1600. |
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| Check that the lawyer is licensed | The Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board's lawyer search lets you look up attorneys by name, city and status. Each result shows the date admitted, a status code (such as ELIG for eligible to practice, SUS suspended, DIS disbarred, INA inactive), public disciplinary actions with dates, and current administrative status. It does not show complaints, investigations or private discipline; full disciplinary history can be requested separately. Discipline history request: https://www.ladb.org/Account/DataRequest.aspx |
| Check discipline history or file a complaint | Complaints about Louisiana lawyers must be in writing to the Office of Disciplinary Counsel (ODC), using the Ethical Conduct Complaint Form or a letter describing what the lawyer did or failed to do, with the lawyer's contact details, dates and copies of documents. Mail to ODC, 4000 S. Sherwood Forest Blvd., Suite 607, Baton Rouge, LA 70816; phone (225) 293-3900 or (800) 326-8022. Anyone may file. ODC screens the complaint, may send it to the lawyer for a response (which you usually see), and may dismiss, issue a private admonition or file formal charges. You may appeal a dismissal in writing within 30 days. |
All legal help in Louisiana · Background guide
Last verified against official sources: October 27, 2026.
How we source this page: each state-specific rule links to the statute, court rule or official government page it comes from. A rule taken from a public copy of a state code (used only where the official code is not freely readable online) is marked as a secondary source. Spot an error? Use the contact page to report it. About our sources
General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.