Louisiana Estate Planning Attorney. Alan Kansas
Gretna, LA
Estate planning is about more than documents. My goal is to help you get your legal life in order, determining who receives your assets, who makes decisions if you can't, and who raises your children if the worst happens — drafted personally by me, built for Louisiana law, on a flat fee.
A modern, family-focused estate planning practice
At the Law Office of Johann Chau, we help families plan for the future with care and clarity. Since 2011, we’ve guided clients across Chicago and the suburbs through wills, trusts, probate, and more. Johann leads every case with experience and compassion as your attorney, while Mina, our paralegal, provides hands-on support to make every step simple and stress-free. Together, we’ve built a warm, approachable law practice designed to help you protect what matters most.
About the Law Office of Johann Chau
Most Estate Planning Advice Online Wasn't Written for Louisiana
Louisiana estate planning operates under a legal framework unlike any other state's. We are a civil law jurisdiction — the only one in the country — and our rules for wills, inheritance, and asset transfers reflect that history. Before we get to documents, here's what makes Louisiana different:
Forced heirship
Children under 24 or those who are permanently disabled have a legally protected right to a share of your estate. You cannot fully disinherit them regardless of what your will says
Usufruct
Louisiana law allows a surviving spouse to receive the right to use assets — such as the family home — even when those assets legally pass to children at death. Usufruct arrangements require careful drafting to function as intended.
Notarial wills
Louisiana's standard will form requires specific witness and notary execution formalities. A will that doesn't meet these requirements can be invalidated at succession.
Community property
Assets acquired during marriage are generally owned equally by both spouses. This shapes how a will works and how assets transfer at death.
Successions
What other states call probate, Louisiana calls a succession. For Jefferson Parish residents, that process is filed at the 24th Judicial District Court in Gretna.
As an estate planning attorney in Gretna, Louisiana, serving families across the West Bank and greater New Orleans area, I've practiced under these rules for more than 20 years. I draft for this specific legal environment — not a generic national framework with Louisiana edits.
What a Complete Louisiana Estate Plan Covers
Estate planning isn't a single document. Depending on your situation, your plan may include some or all of the following.
Wills in Louisiana
The foundational document — it directs how your assets are distributed after you die and can name a guardian for your children. Louisiana's will execution requirements are specific, and every will I draft is built to meet them.
Trusts in Louisiana
A trust holds assets for a beneficiary and can serve a range of goals: avoiding succession, managing assets for a minor child, or controlling how and when an inheritance is distributed. I use trusts when they genuinely serve a client's situation, not as a default add-on.
Powers of Attorney
A durable power of attorney designates who manages your financial affairs if you become incapacitated. Without one, your family may need to petition a court to establish that authority — a costly process that can be avoided with one document signed in advance.
Living Wills & Advance Directives
A living will documents your healthcare preferences when you're incapacitated and cannot communicate them yourself. It removes one of the most difficult decisions your family would otherwise face in a crisis.
Estate Planning for Young Louisiana Families
For parents with minor children, an estate plan must go beyond asset distribution. I build plans that include tutorship designation — Louisiana's term for legal guardianship — alongside the full document suite every young family needs.
Special Needs Trusts
When a disabled child stands to inherit or receive assets, a properly structured trust keeps their Medicaid and SSI eligibility intact. I build these as part of a comprehensive family estate plan.
Emergency Guardianship Planning
The tutorship designation and provisional custody documents that name who cares for your children in an emergency — and give that person legal authority to act.
Asset Protection Planning
Pre-nursing home strategies to legally address home equity and savings before long-term care costs become the deciding factor.
From First Call to Signed Documents: What the Process Looks Like
Most estate plans are complete within a few weeks. Here's what to expect.
Complete a Confidential Intake Form
Fill out a short intake form with details about your family and finances. This gives me everything I need to guide you through the process before we ever sit down together. All information is secure and confidential.
Estate Plan Design Meeting
We meet to discuss your goals, concerns, and options. You choose a package — with or without a trust — and we design your plan together during the meeting.
Engagement and Payment
At the design meeting, you sign the engagement agreement and pay the flat fee. Half is due at the design meeting, half at signing. Payment plans are available. We schedule your signing appointment before you leave.
Review and Approval
Within a few days you'll receive an email to review and approve your plan details. You have one week to confirm accuracy and request any changes.
Signing Meeting
You sign your documents, take home the originals, and your plan becomes legally effective.
Here's What Makes Working With Me Different
- Flat-fee pricing for most plans — no hourly billing, no invoice surprises
- Clear guidance on trusts so you can choose the right option for your situation
- Changes within 90 days of signing at no additional fee, within the same planning level
- Complimentary plan review every three years, with a reminder so it doesn't slip through the cracks
- Family Emergency Protection Kit for parents — ensuring your children are cared for by the right people, not left in state custody
- Every standard plan includes a Will, General Power of Attorney, Health Care Power of Attorney, and Living Will
Most Plans Are Flat-Fee.
You'll Know the Cost Before We Start.
I price most estate plans as flat-fee engagements, which means the total cost is agreed on before any work begins. Every engagement is priced up front — no running clock, no invoice surprises.
The specific fee depends on what your plan includes. A will and power of attorney is a different scope than a comprehensive plan with a trust, living will, and tutorship documents. I cover pricing during the discovery call, and I don't begin drafting until you've confirmed the fee.
You don't need a $30 million estate to need a plan. I work with regular Louisiana families — a house, a retirement account, a couple of kids — who want real legal protection without a complicated or expensive process.
Common Questions About Estate Planning in Louisiana
Do I need an estate planning attorney in Louisiana, or can I use an online service?
You can use an online service, but Louisiana's will execution requirements, forced heirship rules, and community property framework are not addressed by most national platforms. A will that doesn't meet Louisiana's notarial formalities can be invalidated at succession. Working with an attorney who knows Louisiana law specifically is what makes your documents enforceable here.
What documents do I need for an estate plan in Louisiana?
Most Louisiana estate plans include at minimum a will, a durable power of attorney, and a living will or advance directive. Families with minor children should also have tutorship designation documents naming a legal guardian. Depending on your assets and goals, a trust may make sense as well. I determine what your plan needs during the discovery call.
How much does estate planning cost in Louisiana?
Most of my estate plans are flat-fee engagements. The fee depends on scope — a simple will differs from a comprehensive plan with a trust and tutorship documents. I discuss pricing during the 15-minute discovery call before any engagement begins, so you know the full cost before we start.
What is forced heirship and how does it affect my Louisiana estate plan?
Forced heirship gives children under 24, or those who are permanently disabled, a legally protected right to a share of your estate regardless of what your will says. If you have children who qualify, your plan must account for this. I build every estate plan with forced heirship compliance in mind from the start.
Is estate planning different for Louisiana families than for families in other states?
Yes, significantly. Louisiana is a civil law state with inheritance rules — forced heirship, usufruct, notarial will requirements — that have no equivalent anywhere else in the country. Most online tools and many general practice attorneys apply a common law framework that doesn't translate correctly here. My practice is built entirely around Louisiana law.
How long does it take to complete an estate plan?
Most plans are complete within a few weeks from the discovery call to the signing appointment. The timeline depends on document complexity and your availability for the review stage. I give every client a realistic timeline during our first conversation.
Start With a 15-Minute Call
Getting started takes one conversation. Tell me about your family, your situation, and what's been on your mind. I'll tell you exactly what your plan should include and what it will cost before we begin.
