Hiring a Child Custody Lawyer in Louisiana
How courts in Louisiana decide custody, emergency custody, parenting classes, how to check a lawyer's license, and free or low-cost family law help. 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 custody is decided | Custody is decided by the best interest of the child. If parents agree, the court follows their agreement unless the family-violence law (R.S. 9:364) applies or the child's best interest requires otherwise. Without an agreement, the court awards joint custody unless clear and convincing evidence shows custody with one parent is in the child's best interest. The court considers all relevant factors, with the potential for the child to be abused as the primary consideration, along with emotional ties, each party's capacity to care for the child, stability, moral fitness, substance abuse or violence history, health, the child's history, and the child's reasonable preference if the court finds the child old enough to express one. No specific age is set for the child's preference. |
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| Emergency custody | In a divorce or custody case, a court may grant an ex parte (without a hearing) temporary custody order only if a sworn petition or affidavit shows specific facts that the child will suffer immediate and irreparable injury before the other side can be heard, and the applicant's attorney certifies in writing the efforts made to notify the other party or why notice should not be required. The order expires within 30 days (it can be extended once for up to 15 days for good cause), must generally give the other parent at least 48 hours of visitation in every 15-day period, and a hearing must be set within 30 days. An order that does not follow these rules is void. Different rules apply to custody requested in domestic abuse protective order cases. Source: La. Code Civ. Proc. art. 3945 |
| Parenting classes | Not required statewide. A court may require parents in a custody or visitation case to attend a court-approved seminar on children's needs when the facts of the case warrant it. The seminar must last three to four hours and cost no more than $25 per person, with provision for those who cannot pay. Source: La. R.S. 9:306 |
| Grandparents' rights | Grandparents may be granted visitation if it is in the child's best interest when the parents are not married or living together as married, or have filed for divorce. Grandparents may also seek visitation if a parent has died, is interdicted, or is incarcerated, and, in extraordinary circumstances, if the married parents have lived apart for six months. The court must consider a fit parent's right to make decisions for the child, the length and quality of the relationship, whether the child needs guidance the grandparent can provide, the child's preference if mature enough, and the health of the child and grandparent. R.S. 9:344: https://legis.la.gov/Legis/Law.aspx?d=107570 |
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. |
Free legal help
| Free legal aid | Louisiana's LSC-funded legal aid organizations, Acadiana Legal Service Corporation and Southeast Louisiana Legal Services, give free civil legal help to eligible low-income people. The LSBA also points people to the Louisiana Civil Legal Navigator (free legal information, court forms and legal aid referrals), LA.FreeLegalAnswers.org (online answers from volunteer attorneys for eligible adults), LouisianaLawHelp.org, and court self-help centers. LSBA page: https://www.lsba.org/goto/FindLegalHelp |
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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.