Louisiana Business Dispute Attorneys

At DearLegal, we connect you with experienced Louisiana business litigation attorneys who can navigate the unique Louisiana Civil Code, Commercial Code, contract disputes, fiduciary breaches, and commercial collections in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and across the state.

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30,000+ plaintiffs served nationwide

Free Louisiana business dispute case review

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How we match your Louisiana business dispute case

When you submit a Louisiana business dispute matter, we route it through a national network of independent partner firms and put it in front of the one that fits best — based on the kind of case it is, what it is likely to involve, where it has to be handled, and who has capacity to take it on now.

Case type

A business dispute matter needs someone who handles business dispute work day to day, not a generalist. Practice area is the first filter.

Size and complexity

Some firms are built for catastrophic injury and multi-party litigation; others resolve straightforward claims quickly. We weigh what your matter is likely to involve against how each firm actually works.

Jurisdiction and licensing

Your matter is decided under Louisiana law, so it goes to an attorney licensed in Louisiana who regularly appears where your case would be heard.

Capacity and fit

Availability, conflicts of interest and language all matter. If the best-fit firm cannot take your case, we route it to the next one that can — or tell you plainly when no one in the network is the right answer.

Every partner reviews your case for free. Injury and workers’ compensation matters are handled on contingency — no fee unless you win. Other matters are quoted upfront, before you commit to anything.

Get started How DearLegal works

DearLegal provides marketing and matching services and is not a law firm. Submitting a case does not create an attorney-client relationship. Matches depend on case type, jurisdiction and firm availability.

Exhibit A

What happens with a business dispute claim in Louisiana

Day 0
A deal goes wrong.
Non-payment, breach, a partner dispute, unfair competition. Gather the contract, correspondence and the numbers.
Within 24 hours
Tell us what happened.
Two minutes on this page. A Louisiana business dispute attorney reviews it for free and, if it’s a fit, you’re matched within 24 hours.
Weeks 1–4
Position and leverage.
Your attorney reads the contract the way a judge would, sizes the damages, and finds where the other side is exposed.
Months 1–3
Demand, negotiation, mediation.
Most commercial disputes resolve here — often on terms that preserve the relationship, if that is what you want.
Before the deadline
Litigation or arbitration if needed.
Deadlines are strict and vary by claim. Your attorney tracks every one of them.
Resolution
Judgment, award or settlement.
Fees are quoted before you commit — hourly or a retainer, spelled out in writing at the free consultation.

Prescription — Written Contract: 10 years
10 years (La. C.C. art. 3499) — Louisiana’s general personal-action prescription
Prescription — Oral Contract: 10 years
10 years (La. C.C. art. 3499)
UCC Article 2 (Goods) Prescription: 4 years
4 years for sale of goods under La. R.S. 10:2-725 (Louisiana adopted Article 2 with modifications)
Business Court / Commercial Division: No court
No dedicated business court; commercial cases heard in the Louisiana District Court
Long-Arm / Personal Jurisdiction: La. R.S. 13
La. R.S. 13:3201 — extends to the full limits of federal due process
Typical attorney fee: Contingency
Hourly / Retainer (Contingency Available for Plaintiff Cases)

Louisiana is the only civil-law state in the United States. The Louisiana Civil Code (rather than common law) governs contracts, obligations, and most commercial matters. Louisiana has adopted parts of the UCC — Articles 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, and 9 — but has not adopted Article 2 (Sale of Goods); sale-of-goods transactions are instead governed by the Louisiana Civil Code (La. C.C. arts. 2438 et seq.) and the Louisiana Sale of Goods code (La. R.S. 10:2-101 et seq., which adopts UCC Article 2 only with significant modifications). Louisiana also uses prescription rather than statutes of limitations, and the standard prescriptive period for most contract claims is 10 years (La. C.C. art. 3499).

Exhibit B

When to call a business dispute attorney in Louisiana

Does any of this sound like you? Tap what applies.

0of 6 apply

Tick anything that applies. Even one is reason enough to talk to a Louisiana business dispute attorney before you talk to an insurer.

Talk to an attorney anyway

Meanwhile, don’t

Treating Louisiana like a common-law state — the Civil Code governs and produces materially different outcomes on contract, sale, and obligation issues
Failing to preserve emails, Slack, texts, and contract files immediately
Talking directly to opposing counsel without your own attorney and giving away admissions
Missing the open-account demand-letter requirement of La. R.S. 9:2781 and losing the right to attorney fees
Drafting non-competes that violate La. R.S. 23:921’s strict technical requirements (parish, time, statutory category)
Overlooking redhibition (La. C.C. arts. 2520-2548) — Louisiana’s distinctive remedy for hidden defects in sales

Exhibit C

Business Dispute cases we take in Louisiana

Which one is closest to yours?

Breach of contract / obligations

The core of Louisiana commercial litigation. Ten-year prescription under La. C.C. art. 3499. Civil Code obligations doctrine controls — including the role of cause, putting in default, and dissolution of contract.

Sound like yours? A Louisiana attorney reviews it free — fees are quoted upfront, before you commit.

Start my free review

Exhibit D

How much do Louisiana business dispute attorneys cost?

Typical fee schedule

Louisiana · Business Dispute

Fee modelHourly / Retainer

Contingency available for plaintiff cases

Rate & retainerset in your engagement letter

Estimategiven before you commit

Case reviewFree

Illustrative only. Your fee terms are set in a written agreement with your attorney and may include costs and expenses regardless of outcome.

Business Dispute matters in Louisiana are usually billed hourly against a retainer, with the estimate spelled out before you commit.

Louisiana business litigation is typically billed hourly against a retainer. Plaintiff-side commercial collections (including open-account claims with R.S. 9:2781 fee-shifting), certain fraud cases, and revocatory actions can be handled on 33%–40% contingency or a hybrid fee. A good Louisiana business litigator will walk you through fee structures and budgets upfront.

A good attorney walks through every number at your free consultation — before you sign anything.

Get startedTakes about two minutes. No obligation.

Exhibit E

What your Louisiana business dispute compensation can include

A Louisiana business dispute recovery is built from several parts. Tap one to see what it covers.

Compensatory / Actual Damages

Under La. C.C. arts. 1994-2004, damages for breach of obligation include the loss sustained and the profit lost. The civil-law framework looks similar in result to common-law expectation damages.

DearLegal is a legal referral service, not a law firm. We connect individuals with licensed attorneys who can evaluate their case. Nothing on this page constitutes legal advice. Results vary based on individual circumstances.

Exhibit F

Louisiana business dispute questions, answered

Still unsure? Tell us what happened and a Louisiana attorney will review it for free.

Start free review

Settle when the relationship matters and litigation costs would eat your recovery. Litigate when the other side won’t engage, you need an injunction, or you have a fee-shifting clause. Louisiana’s civil-law tradition shapes everything — contract interpretation, obligations theory, and remedies all look different from common-law states.

Move quickly. Louisiana’s LLC Act (La. R.S. 12:1301 et seq.) and Business Corporation Act (La. R.S. 12:1-101 et seq.) give you books-and-records rights, fiduciary-duty claims, and dissolution remedies. Demand records in writing, preserve everything, and get counsel before you’re locked out.

Under the Louisiana Civil Code (Title IV, Obligations and Title VII, Conventional Obligations), you need to show a valid obligation, breach (or active or passive failure to perform), and damages. Louisiana also has the doctrine of putting in default (mise en demeure) for damages in many contractual obligations.

Usually yes. The Federal Arbitration Act preempts most state-law challenges and Louisiana courts routinely enforce commercial arbitration clauses. Louisiana has also adopted the Louisiana Arbitration Act (La. R.S. 9:4201 et seq.).

Louisiana uses the revocatory action (La. C.C. arts. 2036-2044) — the civil-law analog to the common-law fraudulent transfer claim. A creditor can have an act of the obligor declared ineffective if the act causes or increases the obligor’s insolvency.

Louisiana strictly limits non-competes under La. R.S. 23:921. Non-competes are unenforceable unless they meet specific statutory requirements (limited to the parish/municipality, time-limited to 2 years, and tied to a recognized statutory category — employment, sale of business, partnership dissolution). Most overbroad clauses are void.

Louisiana follows the American Rule with exceptions. Open-account claims (La. R.S. 9:2781) authorize attorney fees if the demand letter is properly sent. Contractual prevailing-party clauses are also enforced.

Business Dispute attorneys by city in Louisiana

Same Louisiana rules and the same attorneys — with what’s local to each city.

Other case types in Louisiana

All Louisiana practice areas →

Animal Incident attorneysLouisiana’s dog-bite rules are among the most plaintiff-friendly in the country — owners are strictly liable for the damage their dog causes.

Car Accident attorneysLouisiana extended the filing window for injury claims from one year to two years effective July 2024 — a major shift for plaintiffs.

Consumer Protection attorneysThe Louisiana Unfair Trade Practices Act allows actual damages, triple damages for willful violations, and attorney fees.

Criminal Defense attorneysThe U.S. Supreme Court struck down Louisiana’s split-jury verdicts in 2020 — and the state’s habitual-offender law makes sentencing high-stakes.

Defective Product attorneysThe Louisiana Products Liability Act is the only route for a defective-product claim — it replaced the older negligence theories entirely.

Employment attorneysLouisiana’s state employment-discrimination law tracks the federal protected categories — and the state workforce commission handles administrative charges.

Family Law attorneysLouisiana is a community-property state — and its no-fault divorce requires 180 days of living separately (365 with minor children).

Immigration attorneysLouisiana has immigration courts in New Orleans, Oakdale, and Jena — Oakdale is one of the country’s busiest immigration detention courts.

Lemon Law attorneysThe Louisiana Lemon Law covers new vehicles within one year or 12,000 miles — and the manufacturer pays attorney fees if you prevail.

Medical Malpractice attorneysLouisiana medical malpractice damages are capped at $500K against qualified providers — and the state Patient Compensation Fund pays the excess layer.

Personal Injury attorneysThe filing window for injury claims was extended to two years effective July 2024 — pre-reform claims still run on the old one-year clock.

Slip and Fall attorneysLouisiana slip-and-fall claims against merchants require proof the store knew or should have known about the hazard — one of the tougher states for these cases.

Social Security Disability attorneysLouisiana Social Security hearing offices in New Orleans, Shreveport, and Baton Rouge process moderate volumes — federal appeals precedent for the region shapes review.

Workers’ Compensation attorneysLouisiana workers’ comp runs through the state Office of Workers’ Compensation — and wage benefits are two-thirds of your average weekly wage.

Louisiana Business Dispute Attorneys

How we match your Louisiana business dispute case

Case type

Size and complexity

Jurisdiction and licensing

Capacity and fit

What happens with a business dispute claim in Louisiana

A deal goes wrong.

Tell us what happened.

Position and leverage.

Demand, negotiation, mediation.

Litigation or arbitration if needed.

Judgment, award or settlement.

When to call a business dispute attorney in Louisiana

Business Dispute cases we take in Louisiana

Breach of contract / obligations

Breach of fiduciary duty

Shareholder and minority oppression

Partnership dissolution

LLC member disputes

Commercial lease disputes

Sale of goods disputes

Trade secrets and intellectual property in business

Commercial defamation and disparagement

Tortious interference (limited)

Revocatory action (fraudulent transfer analog)

Commercial debt collection

How much do Louisiana business dispute attorneys cost?

What your Louisiana business dispute compensation can include

Compensatory / Actual Damages

Lost Profits

Consequential / Foreseeable Damages

Punitive Damages

Attorney Fees

Specific Performance / Injunctive Relief

Louisiana business dispute questions, answered

Business Dispute attorneys by city in Louisiana

Other case types in Louisiana

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