Gonzales, LA Estate Planning Attorneys
Protecting Your Family. Preserving Your Legacy. Planning With Louisiana Law In Mind.
Planning ahead isn’t just for later; it’s how Gonzales families protect what matters most right now. A well-built estate plan spares your loved ones stress and expense, keeps decision-making in trusted hands, and ensures your wishes are honored under Louisiana law. At Losavio & DeJean, LLC, our attorneys help individuals and families across Gonzales, Prairieville, Dutchtown, St. Amant, Geismar, Sorrento, and the rest of Ascension Parish create clear, enforceable plans, wills, trusts, powers of attorney, living wills, special needs planning, and more, tailored to Louisiana’s unique civil-law rules.
Whether you’re drafting your first will, updating documents after a life event, coordinating multi-property planning across parishes, or preparing to handle a loved one’s succession, our Gonzales estate planning lawyers make the process straightforward and practical.
Why Families in Gonzales Choose Losavio & DeJean
Local Focus, Louisiana Compliance. Estate planning near Gonzales must fit forced heirship, community property, usufruct, and other state-specific rules. We don’t “adapt” out-of-state forms, we draft for Louisiana from the ground up, so your plan works in Ascension Parish court.
Louisiana-Specific Experience
We routinely plan for forced heirship, usufruct, and community property, coordinating with how your assets are titled and how they’ll pass. Explore our broader planning approach on our Estate Planning page.
Personalized Plans
Every family is different. We design plans for young families, blended families, retirees, business owners, and veterans, accounting for separate vs. community property, prior marriages, and long-term goals.
Clarity & Comfort
We explain options in plain language, so you can make confident choices without legal jargon.
Long-Term Support
Your plan should evolve as life changes. We help keep it current and guide your family when it’s time to administer an estate through succession.
From Airline Highway to Burnside Avenue, Pelican Point to Tanger Outlets, and throughout Ascension Parish, families rely on our team for practical, enforceable planning rooted in Louisiana law.
Louisiana Estate Planning, Explained (What Matters in Gonzales)
Louisiana’s civil law system includes several concepts that directly affect how your plan should be drafted:
Forced Heirship
Certain children (typically minors or those with qualifying disabilities) may be legally entitled to a share of your estate (the legitime). Your plan must account for this to remain enforceable.
Community Property
Most assets acquired during marriage are owned equally by spouses. Planning must consider each spouse’s half and how it passes (including to children from prior marriages).
Usufruct & Naked Ownership
Common in Louisiana planning. A surviving spouse can use property (including the family home or investments) for life (usufruct), while ownership ultimately passes to the children (naked owners).
Succession (Probate)
Estates are administered through Louisiana’s succession process. With the right planning, you can streamline or even avoid it for many assets.
Because these rules are unique, out-of-state documents often don’t work as intended here. We draft with Louisiana in mind from the start.
Tools Our Gonzales Estate Planning Lawyers Use
We design plans using the right combination of documents for your situation:
Last Will & Testament
Directs how your property is distributed and names who will handle your estate (the executor).
Revocable Living Trusts
Can streamline administration, provide privacy, and coordinate complex distributions; often paired with a pour-over will.
Usufruct & Naked Ownership Planning
Popular in blended families to balance a spouse’s lifetime use with children’s ultimate ownership.
Special Needs Trusts
Provide for a loved one with disabilities while preserving public benefits eligibility.
Powers of Attorney (Financial & Medical)
Authorize trusted people to act if you’re unable, avoiding the need for interdiction.
Living Will / Advance Directive
Guides end-of-life care decisions for your medical team and family.
Business & Farm Succession
Keeps family enterprises in Ascension Parish stable through changes in ownership or management.
Charitable & Tax-Smart Strategies
From charitable bequests to trust structures that can reduce tax exposure for larger estates.
Beneficiary & Title Alignment
Ensures account designations and real-estate titles match your plan so assets transfer smoothly.
We’ll recommend only what you need, no boilerplate, no unnecessary complexity.
Who in Gonzales Especially Needs an Estate Plan?
Everyone benefits from clarity, but certain situations make planning essential:
Blended Families seeking to support a spouse and protect children from prior relationships.
Parents of Minors needing tutorship provisions and trusts for young beneficiaries.
Retirees planning for long-term care, legacy giving, or simplified administration for heirs.
Business Owners who need continuity plans, key-person strategies, and buy-sell agreements.
Families with a Loved One with Disabilities requiring special needs provisions.
Homeowners and Anyone with Savings who want to avoid confusion or conflict later.
If you live in Gonzales, Prairieville, Dutchtown, St. Amant, Geismar, or Sorrento, we’ll tailor your plan to local realities, how property is titled, where your heirs live, and how Louisiana’s rules apply.
Our Simple, Guided Process
1. Discovery & Goals
We meet (in-person or virtual) to understand your family, assets, and priorities.
2. Design Your Plan
We explain options, wills, trusts, usufruct, and more, and recommend a strategy tailored to you.
3. Drafting & Review
You receive plain-language drafts; we walk through them together and make refinements.
4. Execute Properly (Louisiana Formalities)
We supervise signing with required witnesses and a notary, so your documents are enforceable.
5. Funding & Follow-Through
We help coordinate beneficiary designations, titles, and (if applicable) trust funding.
6. Update Over Time
We’re here when life changes, marriage, new child, relocation, a new business, or a major purchase.
Pitfalls We Help Gonzales Clients Avoid
Using Non-Louisiana Forms that ignore forced heirship or community property.
Unfunded Trusts that don’t control assets because titles and beneficiaries were never updated.
Out-of-Date Plans that no longer match your family or finances.
No Incapacity Documents (powers of attorney/advance directives), leaving loved ones without authority in an emergency.
Ambiguous Bequests that invite disputes or delay.
Ignoring Digital Assets like online accounts, crypto, and important data access.
A carefully drafted, Louisiana-specific plan prevents these problems and provides real peace of mind.
Succession (Probate) & Estate Administration for Ascension Parish
If you’re handling a loved one’s estate, we can help with:
Opening the Succession and confirming the executor or administrator.
Independent vs. Court-Supervised Administration to streamline tasks when possible.
Small Succession Options (where available) to reduce time and expense.
Creditor Claims, Asset Inventory, and Final Distributions with clear accounting.
Dispute Resolution when disagreements arise among heirs.
Good planning makes administration easier. If you’re just getting started, we’ll meet you where you are and map the next steps.
Planning for Blended Families in Gonzales
Louisiana’s usufruct and naked ownership structure can be ideal for blended families. A surviving spouse can have the use of certain assets for life, while ownership passes to children when the usufruct ends. We design plans that:
Protect your spouse’s lifestyle and housing.
Preserve children’s inheritances.
Minimize conflict through clear, enforceable terms.
Address separate vs. community property fairly.
We’ll show you practical options, like granting a lifetime usufruct over the family home, restricting sales without consent, or guaranteeing specific bequests to children, so expectations are clear and enforceable.
Special Needs & Vulnerable Beneficiaries
If a beneficiary receives (or may later receive) public benefits, a special needs trust can provide supplemental support without jeopardizing eligibility. We also advise on:
Trustee selection and guidance for long-term administration.
Caregiver instructions and letters of intent.
Coordination with tutorship, interdiction alternatives, or supported-decision-making when appropriate.
Our goal is to protect the beneficiary and the integrity of the plan so the trust works in real life, not just on paper.
Business, Real Estate & Tax Considerations for Ascension Parish
Complex assets require careful coordination:
Family Businesses & Professional Practices
Ownership transfer, voting control, key-person planning, and buy-sell agreements.
Real Estate
Titling strategies, usufruct arrangements, and distribution plans that avoid forced sales among heirs.
Tax-Efficient Gifting & Charitable Giving
Techniques to meet personal, philanthropic, and tax goals.
Multi-Parish or Out-of-State Assets
Coordinating titles and beneficiaries across jurisdictions to prevent conflict at succession.
We collaborate with your CPA, financial advisor, or banker to build a cohesive plan that actually works when needed.
Meet Our Attorneys
Peter J. Losavio, Jr.
Attorney
Peter J. Losavio, Jr., J.D., CELA, has been practicing law for over 40 years as a member of Losavio & DeJean, LLC He is a Certified Elder Law Attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation—one of approximately 500 attorneys in the United States to hold this certification and the only Certified Elder Law Attorney in Louisiana. Peter’s practice centers on estate planning, elder law, long-term care planning, and succession work with an emphasis on Louisiana’s civil law requirements. Clients value his clear explanations, meticulous drafting, and practical strategies that protect families across generations.
Kent S. DeJean
Attorney
Kent S. DeJean is an accomplished attorney who specializes in Veterans Affairs and is accredited by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Born in Opelousas, Louisiana, and a graduate of Opelousas Catholic High School, Kent brings a service-oriented approach to estate planning, succession, and benefits coordination for veterans and their families. He helps clients integrate VA benefits with broader estate plans, ensuring documents, titling, and beneficiary designations work together seamlessly.
What Gonzales Clients Say
They are very knowledgeable and friendly. Answered all our questions. Most of all they know what they’re doing. I would recommend them to anyone!”
“Would absolutely recommend Losavio & DeJean for any/all estate planning needs. They were able to evaluate my parents’ specific needs and situation and were able to advise on the best course of action to make sure we were as prepared as possible. They also have an attentive and detail-oriented staff who make it a priority to make things move smoothly and efficiently. Whether you’re located in Denham Springs or elsewhere in Louisiana, Losavio & DeJean has you covered for all things elder law / estate planning.”
FAQs: Gonzales Estate Planning
Ready to Work With a Gonzales Estate Planning Attorney?
The best time to plan is before your family needs it. Whether you live near Jambalaya Park, LA-30, Highway 44, Dutchtown, Prairieville, St. Amant, or Geismar, our team will help you create a Louisiana-specific plan that protects your family and preserves your legacy.
Serving Gonzales, Prairieville, Dutchtown, St. Amant, Geismar, Sorrento, and all of Ascension Parish.
Call today or send us a message to schedule a consultation with a Gonzales estate planning lawyer. We’ll listen, explain your options, and build a plan that truly works in Louisiana.