Louisiana Local Counsel: What Out-of-State Attorneys Should Know

Published October 26, 2026 · Holden Hoggatt

If your client is sued in, or needs to file suit in, Louisiana, you will likely need Louisiana counsel. Here is a practical overview for out-of-state attorneys.

1. Federal court: Western District of Louisiana

W.D. La. LR 83.2.6 lets a member in good standing of the bar of any U.S. court or a state's highest court appear in a particular case on written motion of counsel of record who is a member of the court's bar. Requirements include a recent certificate of good standing (the court's deficiency checklist says within the last six months), a sworn disclosure of any disciplinary proceedings or criminal charges, a $105 fee per case, and the court's oath. Filings requiring counsel's signature must also be signed by associated local counsel, who remains responsible to the court throughout the case. LR 83.2.7 allows a court-ordered waiver of local co-counsel in civil cases only in limited circumstances.

2. State court: Rule XVII, §13

Louisiana Supreme Court Rule XVII, §13 sets a two-step process: (1) file a verified Application for Pro Hac Vice Admission with the Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board, signed by both you and Louisiana counsel, with the required fee set by the rule; then (2) after Disciplinary Counsel approves, Louisiana counsel files a motion with the court, served on all parties and the Board. The rule restricts motions filed shortly before a scheduled trial or hearing, so plan early and confirm the current timing requirement. The in-state lawyer remains responsible to the client and for the proceeding, and must give the client independent judgment if it differs from yours. Frequent appearances can lead a court to deny admission as the regular practice of law.

3. Louisiana is a civil-law state

The Louisiana Civil Code governs most private-law questions. Expect different vocabulary and some different rules: obligations, prescription and peremption, immovables, servitudes, privileges, and redhibition. Louisiana procedure uses petitions and exceptions rather than complaints and Rule 12 motions.

4. Watch prescription closely

For delictual actions arising after July 1, 2024, La. C.C. art. 3493.1 generally provides a two-year prescriptive period; earlier claims were generally subject to one year under art. 3492. Contract claims and statutory claims have their own periods, and peremptive periods cannot be interrupted or suspended.

5. Construction claims have short, technical deadlines

Under the Private Works Act, La. R.S. 9:4822 deadlines can be as short as 30 or 60 days after a notice of termination, depending on whether a notice of contract was filed. See our construction local counsel page.

6. Prescription and contract-clause traps

Louisiana limits some construction-contract clauses: La. R.S. 9:2779 restricts out-of-state forum and choice-of-law clauses in certain construction contracts (narrowed by a 2026 amendment that excludes certain oil, gas, chemical, and petrochemical facilities), and La. R.S. 9:2780.1 voids certain indemnity provisions. In oilfield agreements, La. R.S. 9:2780 limits indemnity for death or bodily injury.

7. Louisiana ethics rules that apply to visiting lawyers

Rule 5.5 (Unauthorized Practice of Law; Multijurisdictional Practice). Generally prohibits a lawyer not admitted in Louisiana from establishing a systematic and continuous presence here or holding out as admitted here, and describes limited circumstances in which a lawyer admitted elsewhere may provide temporary services in Louisiana, including work in association with an actively participating Louisiana lawyer and work related to a proceeding where the lawyer is or expects to be authorized to appear.

Rule 8.5 (Disciplinary Authority; Choice of Law). Addresses when lawyers not admitted in Louisiana are subject to Louisiana discipline and which jurisdiction's rules apply, with a tribunal-based rule for litigation matters.

Rule 1.5(e) (Fee Division). Permits fee division between lawyers in different firms only under stated conditions, including the client's written agreement and written disclosure of each lawyer's share. Address these conditions in the engagement documents.

Rule XVII, §13 (Pro Hac Vice Admission). Sets eligibility, the application to the Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board (with a fee set by the rule), timing for the court motion, objections, and grounds for denial or revocation, including where an applicant's frequent appearances amount to regular practice in Louisiana; it does not state a fixed numeric limit on appearances. It also provides that Louisiana counsel remains responsible to the client and for the conduct of the proceeding, and that the visiting lawyer submits to Louisiana's disciplinary authority.

W.D. La. Local Rules. Under LR 83.2.6, filings requiring counsel's signature must also bear local counsel's signature, and local counsel is responsible to the court at all stages, even if the visitor is lead attorney. LR 11.2 requires the lead attorney to attend all conferences and proceedings or send a fully informed, enrolled co-counsel with authority to bind the client. LR 83.2.4 adopts the Louisiana Rules of Professional Conduct.

Advertising (Rules 7.1–7.10). Louisiana's advertising rules, including the Rule 7.7 filing and review process, may apply to out-of-state lawyers whose advertising is disseminated in Louisiana, with an exception for certain advertising disseminated only in another jurisdiction.

Consult the current rule text. These are high-level summaries for general information, not legal advice, and rules are amended from time to time. Read the official, current text of the Rules of Professional Conduct and Louisiana Supreme Court Rules (including Rule XVII, §13), and the W.D. La. Local Rules, before relying on any provision.

8. Choosing local counsel

Ask about admission to the specific court, responsiveness, how drafts will be reviewed, billing, and how any fee division will comply with the Louisiana Rules of Professional Conduct (W.D. La. has adopted those rules under LR 83.2.4).

Sources: W.D. La. Local Rules; W.D. La. Deficiency Checklist; La. Sup. Ct. Rule XVII, §13; La. R.S. 9:4822; Louisiana Rules of Professional Conduct (consult the current official text).

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