Estate Planning lawyers in Louisiana Lester J. to Paul Spillers

1600   First National Bank Towers Louisian , Lafayette , Louisiana 70501

Practice Areas: Corporate ,Estate Planning,International & Trade,Mergers & Acquisitions,Taxation - State & Federal

Firm: Bass and Duncan

500 E Morris Street , Hammond , Louisiana 70403

Practice Areas: Criminal Defense ,Estate Planning,Insurance ,Personal Injury,Wills,Workers Compensation

Firm: Kitchens Law Firm

420 Broadway St , Minden , Louisiana 71055

Practice Areas: Banking & Finance, Bankruptcy, Business Organizations, Energy , Estate Planning, Family , Personal Injury, Probate , Real Estate , Toxic Substances, Trusts, Litigation

Paul Kitchens is the Senior Partner in the Kitchens Law Firm. He obtained his undergraduate degree and subsequent law degree from LSU in 1970. He practiced law in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps in Fort Benning, Georgia from 1971 to 1975 and was recognized as a senior trial attorney. He then began his civil practice with the Kitchens Law Firm in 1975, joining his father (now deceased) and brother, retired Judge Graydon K. Kitchens, Jr., and subsequently his nephew, Gray Kitchens.. Paul is married to Cheryl Kitchens, and they have four children: Kristen Black (Attorney ClintBlack), Dr. Jon Paul Kitchens (Amy Kitchens), and DeAnna Stanley (Dr. Jordan Stanley).. Paul has been awarded an AV rating by Martindale-Hubbell, and has at least four recognitions as“Minden’s Favorite Lawyer.” He has served as president of the Minden Chamber of Commerce(1982), the Minden Jaycees, and Minden Noon Lions’ Club. He has been a member of both theTrial Lawyers of America and Louisiana Trial Lawyers. He has been recognized as Minden’sOutstanding Young Man and later as Minden’s Man of the Year (1996).Paul’s clients are considered family by him, and his areas of practice include personal injury,wrongful death, estate planning and successions, family law, and real estate and propertymatters.. PK 1Paul is a life deacon at First Baptist Church where he has served as ChurchClerk, Chairman of Deacons (two occasions), Sunday School teacher and Chairman of the Boardof Trustees. He has led a men’s Bible study class at his home for 26 consecutive years.Paul is General Counsel for Claiborne Electric Cooperative, and is Magistrate for Mayor’s Courtat both Sibley and Athens, Louisiana.

Firm: Seale & Ross, PLC

200 N Cate St , Hammond , Louisiana 70401

Practice Areas: Banking & Finance, Estate Planning, Estate Planning, Estate Planning

Firm: Ogwyn Law Firm

4224 Bluebonnet Blvd , Baton Rouge , Louisiana 70809

Practice Areas: Business, Real Estate, Estate Planning

Firm: Seale & Ross, PLC

200 N Cate St , Hammond , Louisiana 70401

Practice Areas: Bankruptcy, Business & Commercial, Collections, Corporate , Estate Planning, Lender , Real Estate , Family, Family

Firm: Myrna Arroyo

4459 Bluebonnet Blvd , Baton Rouge , Louisiana 70809

Practice Areas: Estate Planning

I began my career at a big law firm in New Orleans. Pretty much as soon as I got there, I was unhappy because there was a huge disconnect between what I had dreamed about when I went to law school and the reality of being a lawyer. I had dreamed about going to law school and coming out and making a difference in people’s lives, but in reality, practice in a law firm was totally transactional and didn’t truly serve our clients.. Here’s what I mean …. First of all, everything we did was billed on an hourly basis. And, as you can imagine at more than $400/hour, my clients wanted me to do everything as quickly as possible with as little communication as possible. They didn’t want to talk about their families and they were afraid to call when they had changes in their lives or questions about their businesses because they didn’t know how much that call would cost them and whether it was worth it.. As a result, often they would have life changes, such as a new baby, a divorce, a new property purchase, or a new business started, but I wouldn’t hear about it because they didn’t want to pay to tell me. And, that meant that their plan was destined to fail when their family needed it most because it would be out of date pretty quickly after we created it.. They would leave the office with their fancy binder of estate planning documents, go to the bank because I had told them to change the name of their bank account to transfer their account into their plan and then they’d forget what I said, and call the office, only to get my voicemail, and leave the bank without having transferred the account and then it would never happen.. This is likely what happened to the father-in-law of one of my colleagues. He died when she was in law school and even though he had spent $3,000 on an estate plan, after his death, she and her family were stuck dealing with his ex-wife and the probate court, even though that’s exactly why he had spent the money to do his estate planning, to keep them from having to deal w his ex-wife or the the courts.. She thought for sure his lawyer must have committed malpractice, but then after she went to work at one of the best law firms in the country and saw that they did it exactly the same way, and that most firms did. What she found out is that it wasn’t malpractice at all, it was common practice.. What I noticed when I was at the big firm is that clients would come in, we’d prepare some documents for them, they’d sign the documents (most often not having a clear sense of what they were signing) and then take the documents, stick them in a drawer and not look at them again.. That’s just what the typical estate planning experience had become. And I knew my clients’ plans would fail as a result.. There was nothing abnormal about it, but it didn’t feel right to me. We didn’t have a mechanism for following up with our clients, making sure their assets were titled properly, or communicating regularly to make sure their plans continued to work throughout life.. So, I thought long and hard about whether I could change the way things were done at the firm and I was so disillusioned with the process, I gave up practicing law altogether for a while – that’s how unhappy I was.. I opened this new firm with the idea of bringing back the Personal Family Lawyer relationship - where initial planning is just the beginning of the relationship and we’re focused on putting in place a plan we know we will work for you and the people you love.. So, here are some of the things we do differently based on my experience with the traditional model of estate planning.. First of all – nothing we do is billed on an hourly basis. Everything we do is billed flat fee, agreed to in advance, so there are no surprises. You’ll know exactly what it will cost to work with us, after we’ve gotten clear about what you want, and you’ll even be able to choose your own fee. Then, after the initial planning process, we have options so that you can ensure your plan stays up to date throughout your life, and again you’ll know exactly what that costs and choose your own fee there.. Second – I have a team of people here to support you. That means, if you are at the bank and call our office to get a quick answer about how to title an account, you don’t have to leave the bank and return on another day because there was no one available to answer your question for hours or days. You’ll be able to speak to someone to get your questions answered right away. And, if you need to speak with me about something that my team cannot answer, we’ll get a call scheduled on my calendar so that I can be prepared and you can be prepared and we won’t waste your time playing phone tag.. Third – we see planning as just the beginning of the relationship whereas in the past the plan was viewed as a one-time transactional event.. Once you sign your planning documents, that is when the relationship really begins. At no additional charge, we review your plan at least every three years. And, we have two levels of membership programs that almost all of our clients participate in – either the gold program which provides you with a yearly plan review and unlimited changes to your plan or the gold plus program that includes an annual meeting with your attorney, CPA and financial advisor, plus ongoing legal guidance throughout the year.. Finally, we don’t just focus on passing on your financial assets, but your whole family wealth. When my colleague’s dad died, he left behind a little money, but more important to her, especially because the money was gone quickly, he left her a voicemail on her phone. It said “Lex, it’s your dad. Call me back.” And she listened to that voicemail all the time. Until the day it got deleted accidentally. She was devastated. That’s why we created a process and include it in every plan where we guide you to pass on more than your money, but also your intellectual, spiritual and human assets. We include that with every plan and our clients and their families love having that as part of their plan.. These are just a few of the things that make our firm different. We’re the best fit for people who don’t just want to leave their family a set of documents that may or may not work, but instead want to use the estate planning process to pass on a legacy of love and care and ease. And keep their family out of court and out of conflict.. On a personal note, I got into estate planning in the first place because of what happened when my grandfather passed away when I was about 10 years old. Because he didn’t leave a plan, when he died, it tore our family apart. My mom and her 6 siblings were in and out of court for almost 30 years to settle a modest estate, and to this day one side of the family doesn’t speak to the other.. I believe that proper estate planning is something that you do for the people you love the most. You won’t be the one to benefit from the plan we are going to design for you today – the people who will benefit are the people you love the most who will be dealing with things after you’re gone.

Firm: Rittenberg, Samuel & Phillips, LLC

715 Girod St Ste 200 , New Orleans , Louisiana 70130

Practice Areas: Estate Planning, General Practice, Wills, Probate, Probate, Probate, Probate, Probate, Probate, Probate

Firm: Eckstein Law Firm A Professional Corporation

1515 Poydras St Ste 1000 , New Orleans , Louisiana 70112

Practice Areas: Business & Commercial, Estate Planning, Mergers & Acquisitions, Estate Planning, Estate Planning, Estate Planning

Firm: Ciolino & Onstott

400 Poydras Street , New Orleans , Louisiana 70130

Practice Areas: Estate Planning

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.

Firm: Legacy Estate & Elder Law of Louisiana, LLC

3956 Government St. , Baton Rouge , Louisiana 70806

Practice Areas: Estate Planning, Probate, Elder Law

Linda S. Melancon – Linda S. Melancon is an attorney practicing in the areas of Estate Planning,Elder Law, Medicaid and VA benefit’s planning, Special Needs Planning, and EstateAdministration (Probate, Successions and Trust Administration).Linda is a Board Certified Estate Planning and Administration Specialist, certified by theLouisiana Board of Legal Specialization. She is also accredited by the Veterans Administration togive advice regarding veterans’ benefits.. Linda graduated magna cum laude from Mercer University with a double major in businessadministration and history and then attended Louisiana State University’s Paul M. Hebert LawCenter where she graduated with her law degree in 1997.. While in law school, Linda received the Order of the Coif award for graduating in the top 10% ofher class and was a member of the Louisiana Law Review. She is a member of the LouisianaElder Law Task Force, the Life Care Planning Law Firm Association, the Academy of SpecialNeeds Planners and ElderCounsel.. Also active in the community, Linda has served as a board member for Ascension Parish Councilon Aging and the ARC of East Ascension. She is also a member of the Baton Rouge Associationof Women Attorneys and the Baton Rouge Aging Network. Linda also regularly presentseducational seminars for the public, as well as professional groups, on the importance of properplanning.

Firm: Gusman Law Firm

3015 19th St , Metairie , Louisiana 70002

Practice Areas: Estate Planning

Firm: Attorney At Law

301 N Main St Ste #2200 , Baton Rouge , Louisiana 70825

Practice Areas: Adoption, Child Custody & Visitation, Child Support, Construction , Contracts, Divorce, Estate Planning, Family , Government Agencies, Government Contracts, Health Care & Hospitalization, Probate , Trusts, Wills, Family

Firm: Adams & Reese, LLP

One Shell Square , New Orleans , Louisiana 70139

Practice Areas: Contracts, Estate Planning, General Practice, Mergers & Acquisitions, Probate , Taxation - State & Federal, Tax, Tax, Tax, Tax, Tax

Firm: Liskow & Lewis, PLC

701 Poydras St Fl 50 , New Orleans , Louisiana 70139

Practice Areas: General Practice, Estate Planning, Estate Planning, Estate Planning, Estate Planning, Estate Planning, Estate Planning

Firm: Lugenbuhl Wheaton Peck Rankin & Hubbard

601 Poydras St , New Orleans , Louisiana 70130

Practice Areas: Bankruptcy, General Litigation, Estate Planning,

Firm: Sullivan Stolier Knight

909 Poydras St Ste 2600 , New Orleans , Louisiana 70112

Practice Areas: Business & Commercial, Corporate , Estate Planning, Health Care & Hospitalization, Corporate & Incorporation, Corporate & Incorporation, Corporate & Incorporation, Corporate & Incorporation

Firm: Liuzza Law Firm

New Orleans, LA , New Orleans , Louisiana 70112

Practice Areas: Personal Injury, Business, Estate Planning,

Firm: At Law

3000 18 Street , Metairie , Louisiana 70002

Practice Areas: Estate Planning

The Law Office of Lisa Finn, Esq., LL.M. is a client centered, boutique law practice specializing in Estate Planning, committed  to sophisticated planning for everyone, and focused on the preservation of personal autonomy, preservation of family harmony, and preservation of family wealth.

Firm: Theus, Grisham, Davis & Leigh, LLC

3139 Mercedes Dr , Monroe , Louisiana 71201

Practice Areas: Estate Planning