Top State Lawyers Near Me in New Orleans Area

You’ve worked hard to get where you are today. Now, you want an attorney to protect what you’ve worked for: the people you love and the assets you own. The question is, how do you choose the right one? It’s a critical question, one that at first can seem overwhelming. The Internet and phone book list dozens, if not hundreds, of attorneys. Who is best qualified?. The first thing you need to know is that some lawyers are “generalists.” They practice in a wide range of areas. You wouldn’t go to a general practitioner for heart bypass surgery. Why would you choose someone who claims to be an estate planning attorney but also practices injury and bankruptcy law?. Another factor to consider is how long the attorney has practiced estate planning and wealth preservation. You might be surprised to learn that even attorneys who now focus on this area have not always done so. They simply do not have the experience necessary to provide you with the seasoned counsel and mastery of the planning tools and strategies you need.. At Wealth Planning Law Group, we have always focused on estate planning, elder law, and closely related areas. We always will. Our estate planning attorneys:. In short, we have helped thousands of families address their concerns for the future and achieve their short and long-term goals. We can do the same for you. Click on tabs here to learn more about our credentials and why we are eminently qualified to protect your loved ones, assets, independence, and legacy. Or better still, contact us today for an initial consultation.. Surveys have shown that the biggest complaint people have about law firms is their lack of responsiveness. Many firms project an attitude that can be summed up by the phrase “It’s all about us.” At Wealth Planning Law Group, it’s all about you, our valued clients. We are committed to providing the best possible client service, and vow to:

Scott R. Simmons earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1990 from Louisiana State University and his juris doctor in 1993 from Loyola University in New Orleans School of Law. Mr. Simmons was admitted to the Louisiana Bar Association in 1994 and subsequently to the bars of the United States District Court for the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of Louisiana. He has practiced in the areas of commercial litigation, residential and commercial real estate, title examination and title insurance, real estate development and financing, class actions, personal injury and consumer representation. Mr. Simmons is a Louisiana Notary Public, a Licensed Louisiana Insurance Producer writing for First American Title Insurance Company and Commonwealth Land Title Insurance Company and is also an active member of the state and local communities as a member of the New Orleans Bar Association and the LSU Alumni Association. He also serves on the LSU College of Humanities and Social Sciences Advisory Council. Scott also regularly teaches First-Time Home Buyer Training courses for local organizations.

Prior to working for Lowe Stein, Tyler Douglas built an extensive career centered in legal excellence. He obtained his Juris Doctor with a certification in taxation from Loyola. While studying for his degree, he interned at Lowe Stein, officially joining in 2012. Mr. Douglas’ practice areas include commercial transactions and litigation, with a majority of his practice devoted to trust and estate planning and administration, tax exempt organizations, and tax planning and controversy. An avid member of the legal community, he has organized a regional magazine and organized a tax exemption for a Thai nonprofit organization. Mr. Douglas is a member of the New Orleans Estate Planning Council, Louisiana Bar Association, American Bar Association, and more. Call today to see how he can help your case.

Peter S. Title practices in real estate, bankruptcy and commercial law. He is a graduate of Columbia University and of the Tulane University School of Law. At Tulane, he served on the Board of Editors of the Tulane Law Review, where he was Articles Editor in 1974-75, and received the Rittenberg-Weinstein Award for excellence in legal writing. He is a member of the Order of the Coif and of the Federal, American, Louisiana State and New Orleans Bar Associations. He has served as chairman of Trusts, Estates, Probate and Immovable Property Law Section for the Louisiana State Bar Association, as chair of the New Orleans Bar Association Title Examinations Committee and is a Fellow of the American College of Mortgage Attorneys. Mr. Title is also a member of the Committee on Bar Admissions of the Louisiana State Bar Association. He is listed in Who’s Who in American Law and Who’s Who in the South and in the South and Southwest, and in The Best Lawyers in America (Real Estate Law). He has lectured on real estate and bankruptcy law to many professional groups. He has also authored a two-volume treatise on Louisiana real estate law entitled Louisiana Real Estate Transactions, published in 1991 by Lawyer's Co-Operative Publishing Company, with a second edition published in 2000 by West Publishing Company. - See more at: #

My greatest joy as an attorney is helping my clients find comfort and security during challenging times. I provide this support through both estate planning and probate legal services. When my clients need estate planning or probate services, they are often struggling with issues of death, loss, aging, fear, and uncertainty. It is my job to help them achieve certainty, clarity, and calm by guiding them through the choices and processes at hand.. As an Estate Planner, I help my clients evaluate the roles of their family and friends, and their assets and debts. I then advise them regarding key decisions involving who should be entrusted with certain responsibilities and obligations, and how property should be distributed.. When clients need succession or probate assistance, I counsel my clients through gathering the necessary information, working with creditors and heirs of an estate, and navigating the opening and closing of the succession. My goal is to provide clarity, efficiency, and support to an otherwise overwhelming process, so that a family can focus on overcoming grief and emotionally supporting their loved ones.. We know that legal services can be expensive, so we have developed a range of offerings that are designed to help our clients get the legal services they need, at a cost they can afford. To achieve this goal, we offer several different levels of estate planning services, and payment plans for succession and probate matters.

Ms. Casteix is the firm’s Managing Partner whose practice primarily focuses on business and real estate transactions as well as estate planning and administration (successions). She is a native and lifelong resident of New Orleans.. After receiving her J.D. from Loyola University School of Law, Ms. Casteix began her legal career   as a law clerk for the Civil District Court for the Parish of Orleans. In 1980 she became a partner in the firm of Cleveland, Barrios, Kingsdorf & Casteix where she remained a partner until 1995 when  Barrios, Kingsdorf & Casteix was founded.. Ms. Casteix has counseled clients in a variety of business and real estate transactions, including business sales, residential and commercial mortgage loans, mergers and acquisitions, real estate development, condominium conversions, commercial leases for shopping centers and office buildings, and commercial and residential acquisitions and financing. She has also served as special counsel to a family-owned corporate client in its initial and subsequent public stock offerings.. In her estate planning and administration practice, Ms. Casteix has handled multi-million dollar estates and established charitable foundations for her clients.. Ms. Casteix is an agent for First American Title Insurance Company and  a member of the Louisiana State Bar Association and the New Orleans Bar Association. She has an AV rating, the highest peer review rating available through Martindale-Hubbell, and has been named by New Orleans Magazine as a Top Lawyer in the New Orleans area.

Molly Wright Sullivan provides estate and special needs planning for families in the New Orleans and Lafayette areas.  Her services include special needs trusts, continuing tutorships, wills and powers of attorney.. Molly Wright Sullivan is a graduate of Newcomb College (BA ’95), the University of New Orleans (MS '00) and Tulane Law School (JD ’09).  She serves on the Board of Directors of Families Helping Families of Southeast Louisiana, and is a member of the Academy of Special Needs Planners.

Melanie Breaux's practice consists of a broad range of business, finance and real estate transactions, including real property conveyances, asset acquisitions and divestitures, secured and unsecured lending, and various other commercial transactions. She also has experience in commercial leasing transactions, representing landlords and tenants in negotiating and drafting office building leases, shopping center leases, industrial leases and ground leases. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Breaux served as a judicial extern for the Honorable Carl J. Barbier.

Marynell Piglia exudes confidence in her practice and epitomizes the effectiveness of hard work and tenacity. Practicing civil litigation, family law, and employment law, she represents clients in matters such as discrimination, sexual harassment, workers’ compensation, divorce, and more. Ms. Piglia earned her undergraduate degree from Southeastern Louisiana University, magna cum laud. She was the recipient of a President’s Medal for Academic Excellence. She went on to receive her law degree from Loyola University, where she served on the Loyola Law Review, chair of the Moot Court Board, and a member of the Moot Court teaching staff. Ms. Piglia’s commitment to excellence has garnered her an AV® rating from Martindale-Hubbell®, the highest honor possible.

Leon Rittenberg III is a New Orleans native. He attended the University of Pennsylvania where he studied economics and graduated magna cum laude. He then returned home to attend Tulane University School of Law where he graduated magna cum laude with a Juris Doctor. Leon is a Board Certified Tax Specialist and Estate Planning & Administration Specialist, as certified by the Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization.. Leon joined the Firm in 1994 and became a partner in 2000. His practice is focused on serving the needs of small and mid-sized businesses and their owners; including taxation, finance, estate planning, probate, real estate and related matters. Leon represents the interests of a number of oil service businesses, marine transportation companies and physician groups. He frequently lectures in areas such as taxation, estate planning and maritime transactions. He has been recognized in Louisiana Super Lawyer (Tax, Estate Planning & Probate and Business/Corporate) and in Best Lawyers in America (Non-Profit/Charities Law and Trusts & Estates).. Leon is very active in the New Orleans community, serving on several Boards and Executive Committees. He was most recently elected to the Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization’s Tax Law Advisory Committee. He enjoys spending time with his wife and three children and attending their many soccer and baseball games.

Lee Adler practices primarily in the areas of general business relationships and finance. He has an extensive transactional-based practice representing clients in a wide variety of fields. Finance transactions include real estate finance, vessel finance, accounts receivable-based finance and equipment and inventory finance, representing both borrowers and lenders. Prior to joining Phelps in 1992, Mr. Adler was an attorney at a large multi-practice firm in New York.

Jim Stuckey practices in the areas of commercial finance, real estate, business, project financing, and leasing. His commercial experience includes complex loan transactions in real estate, construction, project finance, oil and gas, line of credit and asset based loans, as well as leveraged lease and utility securitization financings, and real estate and commercial transactions. His lending practice includes representing lenders and borrowers in oil and gas loans, real estate and construction financings, leveraged leases, and secured working capital loans. He advises clients in negotiations of a wide variety of contracts, including major purchase, lease, and project development and financing agreements. He has represented clients from many industries, including banks and other financial institutions, public utilities, oil companies, chemical and product manufacturers, governmental entities, and universities. He serves as the practice coordinator of the business group in New Orleans.

I am a New Orleans-based attorney with a defense-focused litigation practice.  I primarily handle matters involving immovable property, including condemnations, landlord/tenant disputes, environmental matters, redhibition, and oil and gas issues.  I also handle contested successions and corporate matters, and I represent corporate creditors and debtors.. I attended Loyola University College of Law, where I graduated magna cum laude and was a member of the Loyola Law Review.. Prior to attending law school, I worked on the engineering side of the oil and gas industry.

I am a New Orleans real estate and transaction attorney representing financial institutions and people that buy and sell apartment buildings.. I represent clients in complex commercial real estate transactions involving common law state lenders who require advice and assistance with Louisiana Law as it pertains to and affects transactions, securitized loans, and asset-based lending.. Recently, I was involved in the purchase and renovation of the Pontchartrain Hotel, the largest building on St. Charles Avenue.. I am also a commercial lawyer who has created numerous specialized retail lease agreements, as well as all organizational documents for both corporations and limited liability companies representing many of these entities in the area of general business advice.

I act as general counsel to two national credit data exchanges, one in the consumer space, and one in the small business space.. I am an active member in the ABA's Antitrust, Business, Healthcare and Litigation Sections.

Gary Brown is the founder of Brown Weimer, LLC. He has been practicing law almost 40 years, assisting clients with a variety of legal matters. He is primarily engaged now in handling legal matters related to elder law, estates, estate planning, mental health law, and Medicaid planning for nursing homes.. In the past, Gary practiced in the large firm and corporate environment where he represented major financial institutions and corporations in commercial litigation matters. But he missed contact with people and solving their real-life problems. He missed the rewards of personally serving and getting to know his clients. So he founded this law firm to represent people, not business.. Gary has been named Super Lawyer for the past 5 years and has received numerous other awards.. He is a Certified Medicaid Planner, which recognizes him as a leader in the nursing home Medicaid planning field, providing the highest level of assistance, guidance, and advocacy for clients and families faced with nursing home financing and residency. He assists his clients in preserving their income and assets while qualifying them for Medicaid long term care benefits.. Gary and the firm are dedicated to solving your legal problems—timely, successfully, and at a reasonable cost.

Frazer focuses on commercial real estate transactions and development, estate planning, trusts, successions, corporate and commercial law, oil-and-gas law, and employment law. Frazer was born in Montgomery, Alabama. He attended Tulane University and received his Bachelor of Arts in 1969. Graduating from Tulane University Law School in 1972 with his Juris Doctor, he was admitted to the bar in 1973.. Frazer has extensive experience in the representation of major landowners, and in identifying and resolving regulatory and title issues. He also participates routinely in the drafting of wills, trusts, and other estate planning documentation, as well as the administration of substantial estates, trusts, and businesses. He has litigated contested estate and trust matters on behalf of both estate representatives and heirs or legatees. On occasion, Frazer has also served as trustee of both testamentary and intervivos trusts, when requested by clients to do so. In 2012, Frazer was included by New Orleans Magazine in its listing of the best trust and estates lawyers. He is a member of the New Orleans Bar Association, Louisiana State Bar Association, American Bar Association, and the Maritime Law Association of the United States. Frazer is admitted to practice in the state and federal courts of Louisiana, and the United States Courts of Appeal for the Fifth and Eleventh Circuits.

Eric M. Schorr joined Sessions, Fishman, Nathan & Israel, L.L.C. in 2002, and he practices primarily in the areas of Trusts, Estate Planning and Probate. Mr. Schorr is certified by the Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization as a Specialist in Estate Planning and Estate Administration. He advises clients in all aspects of estate planning, estate administration and Medicaid planning, and he is recognized as an authority in the areas of Medicaid Planning and Special Needs Trusts. He is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, the New Orleans Estate Planning Council and the Partnership for Philanthropic Planning. Mr. Schorr received his undergraduate degree from Tulane University and his Juris Doctor from the Loyola University School of Law, where he served on the editorial board of the Loyola University Journal of Public Interest Law as Articles Editor. Mr. Schorr has received several awards for Law Excellence in the areas of Federal Taxation of Wealth Transmission and Federal Income Taxation. He is approved as a Dispute Resolution Arbitrator by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and frequently serves on arbitration panels deciding cases of securities law violation and broker/dealer misconduct.. Mr. Schorr is a member of the New Orleans, Louisiana State, American and Federal Bar Associations, and is admitted to practice before all Louisiana State and Federal Courts, the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court.

Dan Pancamo is counsel in the business group in the New Orleans office. He has an electric public utility regulatory practice, representing clients in matters primarily before the Louisiana Public Service Commission. Mr. Pancamo also has a business and commercial transactional practice, representing clients in: (i) commercial real estate matters, including property development, finance, leasing, and acquisitions and sales for a range of projects, including office, retail, commercial and industrial properties and hospital and healthcare facilities; (ii) construction matters, including drafting and negotiating owner-contractor agreements (including EPC agreements and design-build agreements), agreements for architectural, engineering and other professional services, and construction finance documents (including construction loan agreements) for a range of projects, including power plant construction, hospital and healthcare facility construction, and hotel and apartment complex construction; and (iii) commercial contract matters, including procurement contracts and natural gas supply and transportation agreements.

Dan is a litigation attorney who has been with the firm since 2005. Prior to entering private practice, Dan worked at the Louisiana Supreme Court. Prior to joining Jackson & Jackson, Dan practiced at two small and mid-size defense firms representing insurance companies and businesses focusing on auto liability and mass toxic tort defense litigation.. Dan represents injured persons seeking recovery who were victims of auto accidents, work place accidents, and other disabling injuries caused by third parties. Dan also represents disabled persons seeking recovery through worker’s compensation, disability policies, and Social Security Disability/ERISA.. Dan has extensive experience in first party insurance claims for recovery of businesses against their property and casualty, and business interruption insurers. After Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav and the 2016 Louisiana floods, Dan was instrumental in making full recovery for the firm’s commercial property clients making first party claims against their insurers.. Dan also represents small to mid-sized companies in defending worker’s compensation, longshore/harbor worker’s, auto liability and general liability claims.

Chip LoCoco was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he attended Jesuit High School and received his BA degree from Loyola University in 1990 with a concentration in History. He then went on to receive his J.D. degree from Loyola University Law School in 1993 and joined his father's firm, Many & LoCoco, after being sworn in as an attorney in October, 1993.Chip's emphasis in his law practice is probate, wills, estate planning, interdictions, powers of attorney, living wills and trusts. He has also been appointed by the Court in complex matters to represent the interest of individuals in many differing areas of law. Martindale-Hubbell has given Chip an AV® Preeminent rating as an attorney, which is the pinnacle of excellence awarded by the Bar and the Judiciary to any individual attorney, recognizing that Chip has the highest possible rating available in legal ability and ethical standards. Chip was named by New Orleans Magazine as one of the "Top Lawyers"  in the New Orleans area.Chip is the member of many professional organizations such as the New Orleans Bar Association, the Louisiana State Bar Association and the St. Thomas More Catholic Lawyers Association. He is a Member of the Trusts, Estate, Probate and Immovable Property Law Section of the LSBA. He is also a Member of the New Orleans Estate Planning Council.. Chip is also involved in many social and community organizations such as the Krewe of Thoth, the Cefalutana Society and he is a Member of the Metropolitan Opera Guild. Chip is the current President of the St. Pius X Parish Pastoral Council and is the Recording Secretary for the St. Pius X Men's Club. He also serves on the St. Pius X School Board.Away from law practice, Chip pursues his other interests. He is a recognized novelist. He has authored two novels, Tempesta's Dream and Bellafortuna. He gives talks on opera and Italian culture. He is also involved in coaching baseball and soccer in the community.

Caroline Lafourcade is a native New Orleanian and has 20 years’ experience practicing as a tax lawyer in Louisiana.  She is a recent Chairman of the Louisiana State Bar Association Section of Taxation and is a member of the American Bar Association Section of Taxation.  Caroline is Board Certified as a Tax Law Specialist and provides advice to clients regarding federal, state and local tax matters, as well as estate  planning and administration matters.

Born in River Ridge, Louisiana, Brad Scott graduated from Jesuit High School and continued his education at Tulane University, earning a degree in Finance. He then spent four years working as a financial analyst and a compliance officer before returning to Tulane to follow his passion and become a lawyer. Brad has built his firm and practice areas around his passions.

Bart Bacigalupi practices in the areas of commercial finance, real estate, banking, leasing and other general business matters. Commercial finance transactions include vessel finance, real estate finance, interest rate hedge matters, and equipment and inventory finance, representing both borrowers and lenders. He also represents clients in drafting and negotiating of a wide variety of general business contracts, real estate lease and purchase documents, and organizational documents for a variety of entities.

Ashley is an associate in the estate and succession practice group. Her practice is primarily focused on advising clients on probate administration, estate litigation, estate planning, trust administration, and marriage contracts. She helps guide families through the legal process when a family member passes to ensure that estate assets are passed properly. Before joining the firm, she worked as In-House Counsel for a Florida holdings company and then with the Jefferson Parish Attorney Office as an Associate Attorney.. She is a native of New Orleans and attended The University of New Orleans in New Orleans, Louisiana where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in History. After working as a paralegal for eight years, she attended law school at Southern University Law Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana where she obtained her Juris Doctorate in Law.