Louisiana

Additional Resources

1) Click here to access the Louisiana State Bar Association's "Find Legal Help" page which details the the full spectrum of legal services available throughout the state. 

2) For legal information, click on the following link for the Louisiana Civil Legal Navigator. Answer a few questions about yourself and your situation to get customized legal information, local court forms, referrals to legal aid, and more. Now available for Divorce, Child Custody, Employment Law, and private Landlord-Tenant Law.

3) If you live in a parish impacted by Hurricane Laura or have evacuated and plan to return to a parish impacted by Hurricane Laura and need assistance with civil legal issues, contact Acadiana Legal Service Corporation. In addition, click here to access their webpage that provides an extensive list of legal and non-legal disaster resources. These resources include: FEMA, The Red Cross, Disaster SNAP Benefits, Operation Blue Roof, and legal services. 

Text Service: If you would like to receive free legal information about housing, public assistance, contractor fraud, insurance, and more in the coming days and weeks subscribe to the Louisiana Disaster Legal Tip Line to receive helpful texts on disaster legal issues. Text "subscribe" to 318-405-4185 to sign up for this service provided by the Lagniappe Law Lab. This line is established to assist storm survivors. Legal advice is not provided, and you will not be solicited. Normal texting charges apply. 

4) Click here for information about COVID-19 and how it may impact you, including information about legal issues that may arise because of the virus

5) If you are a victim of the 2016 flooding and having issues with the title of your home, a program called "Floodproof: Legal Help for Homeowners with Title Problems" may be able to help. This program was launched by several non profit organizations. To view a flyer with more details about the program, click here.

6) Additional Civil Legal Aid Organizations

  • Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Baton Rouge - Refugee & Immigration Services (225) 336-8700

    • Refugee Resettlement--Resettles refugee families fleeing violence in their homeland.  Services provided includes language training, social and medical services, counseling, job placement, family reunification, and citizenship preparation for immigrants and refugees

    • Immigration Legal Services - Immigration Legal Services assists refugees, immigrants, victims of human trafficking and torture to rebuild their lives by providing legal services, case management and translation services to access services, gain employment, and become productive members of our community. We help keep families together who are threatened with separation so they can create & rebuild for themselves a future of hope and responsibility. Through our outreach we help legal immigrants escape domestic violence, labor exploitation and in some instances forced prostitution. 

      • Servicios Legales de Inmigración - Servicios de Inmigración Legal ayuda a los refugiados, inmigrantes, víctimas de la trata de personas y la tortura para reconstruir sus vidas por la prestación de servicios legales, manejo de casos y servicios de traducción a los servicios de acceso, el empleo de ganancia, y convertirse en miembros productivos de nuestra comunidad. Nos ayudan a mantener unidas a las familias que están amenazadas con la separación para que puedan crear y reconstruir por sí mismos un futuro de esperanza y responsabilidad. A través de nuestro alcance que ayudar a los inmigrantes legales escapar de la violencia doméstica, la explotación laboral y, en algunos casos, la prostitución forzada. 

  • Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New Orleans

      • Immigration ServicesImmigration Services of Catholic Charities provides a broad range of immigration counseling and representation to immigrants and their families. We help clients understand the immigration law, learn their rights under the law, and to complete the immigration process successfully. Our staff includes attorneys, fully-accredited Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) Representatives, a case manager, and a staff translator. In addition, we offer assistance for victims of domestic violence who may also be seeking immigration services.

        Catholic Charities also offers English as a Second Language (ESL) and Citizenship Classes.

      • Immigration Legal Services (504) 310-6873

        • We provide free or low-cost assistance to obtain family-based immigrant visas, adjustment of status to legal permanent residency, naturalization (citizenship) applications and preparation classes, VAWA petitions, U-visa applications, asylum (for children only), Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, Temporary Protected Status (TPS), B-1/B-2 non-immigrant visas, Deferred Action applications, fiancée petitions, consular processing, travel documents/advance parole, renewals, work permit renewals, affidavits of support, etc.

          We are currently scheduling community legal orientations to provide more information based on what information is already available on who may qualify for President Obama’s Executive Action (“deferred action – “DACA” and “DAPA”), as well as how to prepare for a future application for deferred action.  If you would like to register for or receive more information on one of these free orientation sessions, please call our Administrative Relief “hotline” number at:  (504) 310-6873 and leave a message providing your full name, phone number, and/or email address for our Administrative Relief Coordinator.

      • Support for Immigrant Survivors of Domestic Violence (504) 310-8765

        • In an effort to enhance services for immigrant survivors of domestic violence, our immigration staff attorney works with the New Orleans Family Justice Center in close collaboration with case managers, family law attorneys, behavioral therapists, the New Orleans Police Department, the District Attorney’s office and other domestic violence advocates, to help clients regain control of their lives while also receiving pro bono legal services to acquire lawful immigration status. This status protects the survivor from deportation in case of a law enforcement investigation and provides a path to permanent residency, and ultimately citizenship.

      • Services for Unaccompanied Children (504) 457-3462

        • We provide immigration legal representation and holistic case management to unaccompanied children from Central America who have been reunified with family/sponsors in the Greater New Orleans area.  In addition to legal representation, these children often arrive having faced traumatic experiences in their home countries and during their flight to the U.S., and have significant social support needs. We provide case management and assessments to identify childrens’ special needs and connect them with appropriate resources to ensure their safety and protection.

      • Translation and Notary Services (504) 457-3462

        • We offer translation services of legal documents and birth certificates in general. The documents are certified in-house.

7) Additional Legal Information - These sites only provide legal information, not legal advice.

The Law Library of Louisiana Self-Represented Litigant website includes several libquides. Libquides are designed to provide basic information about legal issues, and connect clients with attorneys and services in their area that may be of assistance. 

To learn more about the available libquides on the Law Library of Louisiana website, click here.

Current LEAP libquides cover the following topics:

Divorce

Emancipation

Interdiction

Justice of the Peace/Small Claims Courts

Family Independence Temporary Assistance Program

Medicaid 

How to Obtain a Driver's License

Social Security

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

8) The Louisiana State Bar Association (LSBA) has created 8 information brochures on various law topics order to promote better understanding of the legal profession in the public sector, click here to access this information. Several brochures are also available in Spanish.

          Topics include:

Spanish Brochures:

  • In addition to these brochures, the LSBA operates a page intended to provide legal information specifically for children once they become legal adults on their 18th birthday. The page is titled, "Becoming an Adult: Legal Rights in Louisiana," and contains legal information on various topics.

9) State Resources

10) Louisiana Statutes & Codes

11) ABA Home Front

www.abahomefront.org

ABA Home Front provides legal information, resources, and a directory of legal programs for veterans, service members, and military families. Programs listed include military legal assistance offices, legal aid and pro bono organizations, lawyer referral and information services, and military-specific programs where available.

12) ABA Military Pro Bono Project

www.militaryprobono.org

The ABA Military Pro Bono Project accepts case referrals from military attorneys on behalf of junior-enlisted, active-duty military personnel facing civil legal issues, and it works to place these cases with pro bono attorneys.