Louisiana Estate Planning
Get your own affairs in order in Louisiana, for yourself or an aging parent. Compare the documents most adults need (a will, a power of attorney, and a healthcare directive), decide whether you need a trust, and see how to keep your estate out of probate.
Which document do I need?
The core documents at a glance. Each row links to its Louisiana guide.
- Will
- Louisiana will requirements explained: the handwritten olographic testament and the notarial testament signed before a notary and two competent witnesses. Read the guide
- Living trust
- A Louisiana revocable living trust under the Louisiana Trust Code (La. R.S. 9:1721 et seq.), and how forced heirship, usufruct, and succession change it. Read the guide
- Power of attorney
- Louisiana power of attorney is a mandate or procuration: durable by default, the form rules that apply, the acts that need express authority, and how it ends. Read the guide
- Healthcare directive
- How a Louisiana advance directive and living will work: the declaration concerning life-sustaining procedures, two-witness signing, registry, and surrogates. Read the guide
Planning to prepare the will with an online service? See what Louisiana requires from an online will before you sign anything.
Louisiana estate planning guides
Louisiana Estate Planning Basics: The Core Documents Every Adult Needs
Louisiana estate planning basics under the Civil Code: testaments, mandates, succession, $200,000 small succession rule, and no state estate or inheritance tax.
Louisiana Will Requirements
Louisiana will requirements explained: the handwritten olographic testament and the notarial testament signed before a notary and two competent witnesses.
Louisiana Power of Attorney (Mandate)
Louisiana power of attorney is a mandate or procuration: durable by default, the form rules that apply, the acts that need express authority, and how it ends.
Louisiana Advance Directive and Living Will
How a Louisiana advance directive and living will work: the declaration concerning life-sustaining procedures, two-witness signing, registry, and surrogates.
Louisiana Guardianship, Tutorship, and Interdiction
How Louisiana guardianship works as tutorship for minors and interdiction with a curator for adults, plus the planning tools that can keep a court out of it.
Louisiana Revocable Living Trust Guide
A Louisiana revocable living trust under the Louisiana Trust Code (La. R.S. 9:1721 et seq.), and how forced heirship, usufruct, and succession change it.
Louisiana Trust Administration Guide
Successor trustee duties after a settlor dies under the Louisiana Trust Code (La. R.S. 9:1721): accepting the trust, informing beneficiaries, and distributing.
Louisiana Community Property After Death
How Louisiana sorts community from separate property after a death: the one-half rule, the presumption of community, and what actually passes in a succession.
How Pet Trusts Work in Louisiana
How a Louisiana pet trust works under La. R.S. 9:2263, the 2015 law that lets you fund your animal's care, name an enforcer, and set a remainder beneficiary.
Digital Assets and Estate Planning in Louisiana
How to reach a deceased person's digital assets in Louisiana, which has not enacted RUFADAA: provider legacy tools, testament and mandate language, and crypto.
Not sure what you need in Louisiana?
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Information current as of 2026-06-18
Settled Estate is not a law firm, and this content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Probate laws and procedures in your state can change. Consult with a qualified attorney for advice specific to your situation. Full disclaimer.
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