Ogden Law Blog

Most people spend weeks deciding who gets the house. Then they spend about thirty seconds deciding who will handle it. That second decision, choosing your Louisiana executor, shapes how smoothly your family gets through the succession after you’re gone. I’m Charlton “Chink” Ogden. I’ve practiced Louisiana law since 1981, and I’ve worked from my office in Covington since 2001. Louisiana has its own rules about who can serve as executor, what the job is called, what it pays, and what happens if the person you pick can’t do it. National articles often leave out those Louisiana-specific details. So here it is, Louisiana-style, in plain English. What Does an Executor of an Estate in Louisiana Actually Do? An executor of an estate in Louisiana is the person who manages the succession. (Succession is Louisiana’s word for what other states call probate: the court process that moves your property into the names

Understanding the benefits of having a Will in Louisiana is crucial. If you should die without having a Last Will and Testament (“Will”), your estate will be administered, and your property will devolve in accordance with state law, probably not in the manner you would want. The benefits of having a Will in Louisiana allow you to dictate how you want your estate administered and to whom and in what manner you prefer to leave your property. For instance: You can appoint a trusted person and successors who you believe will faithfully manage your estate and ensure the provisions of your Will for the distribution of your property are faithfully carried out. You can appoint a person, known as an executor, to act independently to avoid costly procedures for administering your estate that may occur under usual procedures. Without such a provision, an expensive conflict may arise as to who

Plenty of people sit down at the kitchen table, write out what they want, sign it, and figure that’s that. In Louisiana, it might be. Or it might be worth nothing at all. The difference comes down to form, and Louisiana is stricter about form than most people realize. I’m Charlton “Chink” Ogden, and I’ve practiced Louisiana law since 1981. If you want to make a will in Louisiana, here’s what the law actually requires and what changed in 2025. I’ll also cover where do-it-yourself wills tend to go wrong. Louisiana Allows Only Two Kinds of Wills Louisiana law calls a will a “testament,” and it recognizes exactly two forms: the notarial testament and the olographic testament. That’s it. A will that doesn’t fit one of those two forms isn’t a weaker will. Under Civil Code Article 1573, it’s absolutely null, meaning the law treats it as though it was