Life Changes — Your Will Should Too
Life in Louisiana is full of milestones—marriage, children, divorce, or even remarriage—and each of these moments changes your legal and financial picture.
But what many families overlook is that your will doesn’t automatically update itself.
If your life has changed but your estate plan hasn’t, the people you care about most may not be protected the way you intend. That’s why updating your Louisiana will is one of the most important (and simplest) steps you can take to keep your plan current and enforceable.
When Should You Update Your Louisiana Will?
A good rule of thumb: review your will every 3–5 years or after any major life event. Here are the most common reasons Louisianans need to update their wills:
1. Marriage
When you marry, your financial and legal status changes immediately. Louisiana is a community property state, which means most property acquired during marriage belongs to both spouses equally.
If your will was written before marriage, it may no longer reflect your new spouse’s rights—or your wishes.
Updating your will after marriage ensures:
- Your spouse is included (or specifically provided for)
- Any separate property or inheritance is properly identified
- Your estate plan coordinates with prenuptial or postnuptial agreements
Without an update, the Louisiana Civil Code determines how your assets are divided—not you.
2. Divorce or Remarriage
Divorce is another key reason to revisit your estate plan. Many people forget to remove ex-spouses from their wills or beneficiary designations.
Louisiana law may revoke certain provisions favoring an ex-spouse, but that doesn’t automatically fix everything. A will written during marriage could still:
- Leave assets unintentionally to an ex-spouse
- Appoint them as executor or trustee
- Fail to name a new guardian for children
Updating your Louisiana will after divorce (and especially before remarriage) prevents confusion, ensures your current family is protected, and avoids disputes among heirs.
🔗 Learn how Louisiana inheritance laws work when you die without a will
3. Children or Grandchildren
The birth or adoption of a child is one of the most important times to update your will.
You’ll want to:
- Name a guardian to care for your minor children if something happens to you
- Set up a testamentary or living trust to manage assets until your children reach adulthood
- Update beneficiary designations on life insurance and retirement accounts
- Adjust distributions to ensure fairness among new and existing children
Louisiana parents often forget that if no guardian is named, the court—not the family—decides who will care for your children.
4. Death or Change in Relationships
If a beneficiary, executor, or trustee has passed away—or if your relationship with them has changed—it’s time to make updates.
A will naming a deceased or unfit executor can cause probate delays and family tension. Reviewing your fiduciary designations every few years keeps your plan efficient, current, and enforceable.
Why Updating Your Will Matters in Louisiana
Louisiana’s civil law system has unique succession rules. Even small changes in family structure can have big legal consequences.
For example:
- Louisiana recognizes usufruct (the right of a surviving spouse to use community property during their lifetime).
- Forced heirship laws require that certain children (under 24 or permanently disabled) must inherit part of your estate.
- Updating your will ensures these laws work with, not against, your wishes.
Every update is also a chance to align your will with your trust, power of attorney, and living will—so everything in your estate plan stays consistent.
How to Update Your Louisiana Will
- Meet with an estate planning attorney
Your attorney will review your current will, property, and life changes to determine if a new will or codicil (amendment) is appropriate. - Revoke outdated documents
Old wills should be formally revoked to avoid confusion during probate. - Coordinate with beneficiary designations
Update life insurance, retirement accounts, and payable-on-death designations to match your will. - Re-sign and notarize properly
Louisiana has strict formalities for wills—handwritten changes or missing witnesses can invalidate the entire document.
The Bottom Line
Your will is not a one-and-done document—it should grow and change with you.
If you’ve experienced marriage, divorce, children, or other major life changes, it’s time to make sure your Louisiana estate plan still reflects your wishes.
At Morrison Law Group, PLC, we help families throughout Metairie and the Greater New Orleans area review, update, and protect their estate plans for every season of life.
📞 Call our Metairie or Covington office at (504) 831-2348
🌐 morrisonlawplc.com/contact
- National Make-a-Will Month - August 1, 2026
- Dying Without a Will in Louisiana: Can Unexpected Heirs Inherit? - July 22, 2026
- Don’t Wait For A Crisis: Begin The Long-Term Care Talk With Parents Now! - July 20, 2026
