Dufresne Law Firm

Dufresne Law Firm is a family law practice serving St. John the Baptist Parish and the River Parishes corridor from its offices in LaPlace, a community along the Mississippi River in the heavily industrialized petrochemical belt between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Operating from the distinctive domain showstopperlaw.com, the firm provides Louisiana community property divorce, spousal support, child custody, and support representation to clients in one of Louisiana's most economically significant industrial corridors. The 985 area code and River Parishes location situate the firm within the southeast Louisiana legal market shaped by refinery employment, maritime industry, and proximity to New Orleans. Louisiana family law is governed by the Civil Code — a reflection of the state's unique French and Spanish civil law tradition — rather than the common law statutes used in the other 49 states. Divorce is obtained under Civil Code art. 103 after a 180-day separation period (or 365 days when minor children are involved), and the firm guides clients through this structured timeline. Community property division under Louisiana's 'regime of acquêts and gains' (art. 2336) subjects all property acquired during the marriage to equal division between the spouses, with the firm assisting in inventory and valuation of the community assets — frequently including petrochemical industry compensation packages, pension benefits, and the residential real estate of River Parishes working families. Child custody in Louisiana uses the 'domiciliary parent' framework under La. R.S. 9:335, which designates one parent as the domiciliary parent (responsible for day-to-day decisions) while the other has specific visitation rights, alongside joint custody arrangements where courts appoint co-domiciliary parents. Child support follows the La. R.S. 9:315 guidelines' income shares model. The firm's French-language capability acknowledges Louisiana's Francophone heritage and serves clients from Cajun communities throughout the River Parishes.