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Louisiana State Bar
Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization 1993
Baton Rouge Bar Association
United States Court of Appeals Fifth Circuit
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AFCC

Child Support

Whether you are seeking an award of child support or you dispute payment, our firm can assist you in understanding your rights and obligations. We provide comprehensive child support representation to clients who have support issues within the context of a divorce or between parents who have never been married. You should seek legal representation to ensure that you receive or pay what is appropriate based on your specific situation.

What is Child Support?

Louisiana’s laws about child support are an extension of a basic principle in family law – the interests of children come first. The law does its best to protect children from the financial effects of their parents’ divorce or separation. The same rule applies even where parents are not married to each other.

Louisiana courts use “Guidelines” established by law to arrive at the amount of child support you will receive or must pay. The “basic child support obligation” is calculated in almost all cases by using tables that consider the number of children, the amount of time the children spend with each parent, and the monthly gross income of each party. Additional costs that the parties pay for Childcare, Health Insurance Premiums, and Extraordinary Medical Expenses are then added to the basic support obligation. In some cases, other “Extraordinary Expenses” -- expenses such as education expenses, transportation expenses and expenses intended to enhance the health, athletic, social, or cultural development of a child -- can also be added if the court finds these expenses reasonable and necessary considering the income of the parties. Deviations from these guidelines only occur in extraordinary cases.

Since income is the most important factor in determining child support, you should try to gather this information before consulting with your attorney. Make copies of the last 3 tax returns that both parents have filed. Bring that information up to date by making copies of each parent’s recent paycheck stubs. Gather cancelled checks or receipts to show how much you pay for your children’s health insurance, childcare, and extraordinary medical expenses. With this information, a competent family lawyer should be able to tell you, at your first meeting with him or her, the approximate amount that you will be able to receive or that you will be required to pay for child support.

Many clients are concerned that either or both parents are currently unemployed. This does not mean that you will not receive, or that you will not pay child support. Courts in Louisiana have the authority to “impute” income to the parties. If a parent has an established history of earning $30,000 a year and is currently unemployed, the court will find that the parent is capable of earning that amount, and that amount will be used to calculate the support obligation. It’s up to that parent to find employment. In Louisiana, the welfare of children is paramount.

Louisiana does not discriminate against children who are born out of wedlock. The law on child support is the same whether parents are married or not.

At the Cosenza Law Firm we are concerned about the economic welfare of our clients and the best interests of their children. Know what your options are before you decide to take the next step. Contact us for a consultation.

What Our Clients Say
★★★★★
I highly recommend Louis
I hired Louis to represent me in my custody battle. From the start he was upfront and honest with me, if he said he was going to do something he did it and he never attempted to settle for anything less than what I was asking. He was not afraid to go head to head with opposing counsel which is what we ended up having to do. Thanks to Louis and his experience and knowledge of family law we won our case. I highly recommend Louis and will always use him for my future family Court needs.
Caleb
★★★★★
Brilliant Mind and Excellent Communication
I had no idea how to even look for an attorney when I found myself needing one. Mr. Cosenza is the best attorney I have encountered, and I took a lot of time finding one. He is brilliant in matters of the law. He approached my case from every angle. I am so thankful he was my attorney. I started out knowing absolutely nothing about court related matters. He answered even my smallest questions and guided me through to understand what was best for me and my children. He was excellent in communication with quick replies. He will have all of my recommendations.
Becky
★★★★★
Attorney Cosenza at his craft
My journey with Mr. Cosenza began nearly 3 years ago when I contacted him about divorce proceedings. During our initial consultation he told me exactly what to expect and we discussed cost, which I thought reasonable. After retaining him as my attorney and finalizing my divorce, things became fairly intense during the negotiation of the property settlement; yet he was relentless and tenacious. In the end, we prevailed victorious and everything came together perfectly. Attorney Cosenza always responded in a timely manner to my many calls, emails and texts. He gave clear, detailed, rational explanations of what I could expect. His work on my case has been life changing, in the best way possible. I am forever in his debt.
Sean
★★★★★
He does his very best
Working with Louis Cosenza truly helped to make my very difficult emotional and legal situation feel much more comfortable as I knew his experience and expertise was there to support and guide me. He knows the law and he does his very best to use that knowledge to represent his clients in and out of the courtroom.
Craig
★★★★★
Hands down the best experience I’ve had with a lawyer
I would like to start by saying I am from TX and my ex wife tried to file a judgment in LA. I contacted a number of lawyers that explained to me that this maybe a process that they could look into. I spoke with Mr. Cosenza with his 30 plus year of experience and he assured me this was not going to be a issue. He was very informative on the proceedings that where going to take place. He couldn’t have called it any better. There wasn’t even a need for me to travel to show in court. It is definitely worth a little extra to hire one of the best. I hope I hope won’t be needing his help again but if I do need another lawyer in LA. I won’t hesitate to contact him and he will be my lawyer again.
Michael