Louisiana Free Legal Help for Grandparents Raising Grandchildren

Attorney fees for a custody case can put it out of reach for a grandparent on Social Security or a relative working hourly. Louisiana has a network of legal aid organizations that may help with kinship cases — including custody documents, school enrollment disputes, and medical consent issues — at no charge if you meet income guidelines.

The Three Regional Legal Aid Organizations

Louisiana's free civil legal services are divided by region. Each organization covers a defined set of parishes:

Southeast Louisiana Legal Services (SLLS) Covers Greater New Orleans, the Capital Area/Baton Rouge, the Northshore, and River Parishes.

• Intake line: (504) 529-1000 (New Orleans) / (225) 448-0080 (Baton Rouge)
• Handles Provisional Custody by Mandate preparation, Voluntary Transfer of Custody filings, tutorship proceedings, and school enrollment disputes

Acadiana Legal Service Corporation (ALSC) Covers Acadiana, Southwest Louisiana, and Central Louisiana/Crossroads.

• Intake line: 1-866-275-2572
• Handles kinship custody documents, DCFS-related matters, and benefit disputes

Legal Services of North Louisiana (LSNL) Covers northern Louisiana, including the Shreveport, Monroe, and Natchitoches areas.

• Intake line: (318) 222-7186 (Shreveport) / 1-800-826-9265
• Handles custody, tutorship, and school access issues for kinship families

How to Get Help

All three organizations use income-based eligibility, and the limits vary by organization and case type. An intake worker will assess your household and legal issue; receiving Social Security or SSI does not guarantee eligibility.

The process:

1. Call the intake line for the organization that covers your parish. Ask about kinship care or grandparent custody services specifically.
2. Answer the intake screening questions — they'll ask about your income, household size, the child's situation, and what you need.
3. If eligible, ask what help is available. Depending on the case and the organization's capacity, it may offer advice, help prepare custody documents, represent you in court, or address a school or clinic's refusal to accept your paperwork.

Expect a wait. Legal aid offices are chronically underfunded and the demand far exceeds their capacity. Intake queues can run several weeks. If the child needs to be enrolled in school or seen by a doctor before your legal aid appointment, a Provisional Custody by Mandate or Non-Legal Custodian's Affidavit can bridge the gap immediately.

Loyola Law Clinic and Pro Bono Programs

Loyola University New Orleans College of Law operates clinical programs where law students, supervised by licensed attorneys, handle family law matters including kinship custody. If you're in the Greater New Orleans area, this is worth a call even if the legal aid intake queue is long.

The Louisiana State Bar Association's Lawyer Referral Service is another route to ask about an attorney for a kinship matter; check the LSBA website for current referral details.

What Legal Aid Can and Can't Do

They can:

• Draft and help you execute a Provisional Custody by Mandate
• File a Voluntary Transfer of Custody petition in court
• Represent you in tutorship proceedings
• Write a letter to a school district or medical provider that's refusing your documents
• Help you apply for KCSP or FITAP if there's a legal obstacle

They can't:

• Handle cases where both sides have attorneys and it becomes a contested custody battle (conflict of interest and resource limits)
• Act as your personal attorney on call — they handle the specific legal matter and close the file
• Provide immediate same-day service in most cases

While You Wait for Legal Aid

If you're in the intake queue and need to get the child into school or to a doctor now, you have options that don't require an attorney:

• Provisional Custody by Mandate — if the parent is available and willing to sign, you can execute this before any notary
• Non-Legal Custodian's Affidavit (La. R.S. 9:975) — if the parent is unavailable, you can sign this yourself under penalty of perjury
• McKinney-Vento enrollment — if the child moved in due to housing loss or family crisis, the school must enroll them immediately without any custody paperwork

The Louisiana School & Medical Consent guide covers all three pathways with step-by-step instructions, so you can establish the child's access to school and healthcare while your legal aid case is pending.

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