Successions and Estate Planning

Your “estate” includes all of the items you have accumulated during your life time.  These items can include money, real estate, vehicles, stocks, jewelry and other personal property, stocks, and other investment vehicles.  A considered estate plan can protect your loved ones and help provide for their futures.  Additionally, an estate plan can give your children and loved ones peace of mind in a stressful and emotional period.  

Make an appointment today to speak to one of our attorneys about your estate and your plans for it after your death.  Being prepared is often the best gift you can give your family. 

If a loved one or family member has passed away, it is time to consider probating the estate.  Whether the loved one left a will (testate) or if the rules of intestacy apply, it is important that the estate be probated or administered.  If there is a will, the property will be distributed according to the wishes of the decedent.  If there is no will, the property will be distributed according to the default rules in Louisiana.  

It is important to open a succession on a loved one’s estate as soon as possible because when a person dies, their assets are essentially “frozen” until a succession is completed. This means that the deceased’s assets and property cannot be sold or mortgaged until a succession is complete.  A succession “unfreezes” those assets and transfers ownership to the heirs or legatees.  

If you have any Estate Planning or Succession questions, contact our office for a free consultation.