Estate planning isn’t just necessary for new parents and those with serious medical challenges. It is also very important for those preparing for their golden years. The years leading up to retirement are an ideal time to create or potentially update estate planning paperwork. In addition to thinking about a personal legacy in the form of assets that pass to loved ones after someone dies, it is also important to think about what may happen as someone grows older. Estate planning may include incapacity planning where people address the possibility that they could end up incapable of speaking on ..read more

One of the earliest and most important decisions an entrepreneur makes is the type of business structure they are going to form. Technically, it is possible to change the type of business someone runs after its initial establishment. However, it is often faster and more cost-effective to make judicious decisions about the business entity someone starts by thinking carefully about long-term prospects. Particularly when an entrepreneur worries about liability, they may want a more formal business structure as opposed to a sole proprietorship, or even a partnership. Limited liability companies (L ..read more

There are many unique professional opportunities in Louisiana. There is a significant industrial sector and plenty of people working in the hospitality industry as well. Many workers in these industries have very straightforward protections if they ever get hurt on the job. They can file a claim for workers’ compensation to cover their medical costs and disability benefits that replace a portion of their wages. However, those who work in maritime environments, including fishermen, oil rig employees and tour boat employees, aren’t typically be eligible for standard Louisiana workers’ compensati ..read more

There are examples of medical malpractice that are so severe and so easily preventable that they are called “never events” — mistakes that should never happen. But never events do happen in New Orleans-area hospitals, usually with devastating results for patients and their families. Surgical errors are some of the most egregious never events. Surgeons, nurses, anesthesiologists and other members of surgical teams are highly trained, and hospitals have procedures to ensure that each patient gets the operation they came to the hospital for. Yet seemingly basic mistakes still happen sometimes. Fo ..read more

There are many different forms that your future business could take. The exact legal structure you choose for your business depends in part on your plans for the company. Many people just starting out, even those with hopes of expanding in the future, may choose to start a limited liability corporation (LLC) rather than a more complex corporate entity or a sole proprietorship. An LLC can make business ownership a little safer and easier to achieve. What are the benefits that make an LLC so attractive to entrepreneurs? The ease of creation and maintenance More complex legal entities take substa ..read more

In Louisiana, there is an issue: There is a $500,000 cap on medical malpractice damages. That limit hasn’t been changed since 1975, which makes it difficult for injured parties to collect the money they need. It’s important for you to reach out to an attorney as soon as you can if you have been hurt by a medical provider or treatment plan. Since the medical malpractice laws are dated in Louisiana, they are strict and specific. If you don’t take action right away and in the right ways, you could face trouble when trying to make your medical malpractice claim. What is a medical malpractice cap ..read more

Louisiana has a number of unique laws and legal doctrines. Among them is something “forced heirship.” Basically, it means that parents cannot disinherit any child who is not yet 24 years old or who is unable to care for themselves. If a parent dies intestate (without a will), the law requires that their children must receive a portion of an estate. If they have a will, parents typically leave something to adult children – particularly if they’re still younger – even if they’re not required to. Further, parents with adult children who are permanently disabled or incapacitated can set up a speci ..read more

You certainly expect your doctor to listen to you when you go in for an appointment. The first step in making a proper diagnosis should simply be getting information from the patient. Additionally, if you’ve been dealing with a serious condition, you’re probably very emotionally invested in figuring your situation out. You have been thinking about your concerns endlessly, so you definitely assume your doctor will at least listen to you talk about them. But is your doctor actually listening? They might not be, and that can lead to allegations of medical malpractice. A doctor who won’t give pati ..read more

Wrong-way car accidents are the most dangerous type of car crash. Unfortunately, these accidents have increased in frequency over the past decade, and the numbers keep rising. While alcohol is the number one cause of this type of vehicle crash, many other groups are at-risk, and some may not even know it. This type of car crash, the most dangerous of all, often results in fatalities because it usually involves head-on collisions. Further, these accidents often extend to include other vehicles because they can easily cause a ripple effect when the two cars collide. Oftentimes, the vehicles driv ..read more

When creating your estate plan, you have the opportunity to provide support to your loved ones. However, if one of your loved ones relies on disability benefits, you may need to take additional steps to ensure that your plan addresses those needs. How can your estate plan provide for your loved ones A will may not be the best fit for your situation. To qualify for benefits from some government programs like Medicaid or Supplemental Security Income (SSI), a person must meet specific income and asset limits. Unfortunately, this means that directly receiving an inheritance — as they would if you ..read more