Tools for New Orleans Guardians ad Litem, Therapists and Mediators

A co-parenting app and case tools you can recommend to the New Orleans families you work with, whether you serve as a guardian ad litem, a therapist, or a mediator. Messaging between co-parents is free for both parents, and every message is time-stamped and tamper-evident.

If you serve as a guardian ad litem, a therapist, or a mediator for families in New Orleans, you already know the pattern: two parents, one child, and a record of what happened that lives in two different phones. FamilyCourtHelp.com gives the parents you work with one organized place for co-parent messages, schedules, parenting plans, expenses, and records, so the time they spend with you, and in front of the Civil District Court for the Parish of Orleans, Domestic Relations Section, goes to the children instead of the screenshots.

Area covered: Orleans Parish.

Court for custody cases: Civil District Court for the Parish of Orleans, Domestic Relations Section.

Appointed for the child: Attorney for the child.

Custody mediation: Often ordered by the judge.

Parenting class: Depends on the county or judge.

State family law: Louisiana Civil Code Book I - Persons (Marriage/Divorce).

Co-parent messaging (Free): One time-stamped, tamper-evident thread, free for both parents, with a Tone Meter that offers calmer rewrites.

Invite a professional into the conversation (Free): A parent can add a guardian ad litem or mediator to the co-parent conversation with a single-use link.

Parenting plan, built and shared (Free to build): Parents draft a parenting plan and can share it with you to read and comment on.

Verify a chat export (Free): Check that an exported message record (the JSON file) has not been changed. No account needed.

Court-Grade Journal (Paid plan): A dated, no-delete journal; a parent can send you a packet of chosen entries.

Expense Tracker (Paid plan): Shared child costs with receipts; a parent can give you a view-only look.

Parents can create an account and message their co-parent for free, with no credit card. Building a parenting plan is free; sharing, downloading, and printing it, and the tools marked as a paid plan, are part of a monthly plan a parent can start and stop.

For attorneys for the child and guardians ad litem in New Orleans

In Louisiana, the court can appoint an attorney for the child in a custody case. What the role involves is in the FAQ below.

Nothing here opens a family's account to you on its own. When a parent wants you in, they send a single-use invitation into the co-parent conversation; you join with your own free account, see the full thread and the shared calendar's change requests, and can post. They can also share the parenting plan for you to read and comment on.

The invitation a parent sends is labeled Guardian ad Litem, the title most states use. It works the same if you serve as an attorney for the child in New Orleans.

For therapists and counselors in New Orleans

Court-involved therapists, reunification therapists, co-parenting counselors, and custody evaluators in New Orleans get no seat in the conversation and no access to accounts. Parents keep their own time-stamped record and decide what to show you, which keeps your role clear. For co-parenting work, the Tone Meter in the free messenger shows a parent how a message will land and offers a calmer version before it is sent.

For mediators and parenting coordinators in New Orleans

In Louisiana, custody mediation is often ordered by the judge. The details are in the FAQ below.

Parents can bring you in before the first meeting in New Orleans: a single-use link adds you to the co-parent conversation, and a shared parenting plan lets you read the draft and comment on it. After the session, what was agreed stays in writing in the thread, and schedule changes run through the shared calendar's request and approval record.

Family court programs in New Orleans

Custody cases in New Orleans are heard in the Civil District Court for the Parish of Orleans, Domestic Relations Section. The court-connected programs below were checked against official sources.

Family cases are filed in the Domestic Relations division of Civil District Court.

Orleans Parish Civil District Court Self-Help Resource Center: A volunteer help desk at the Civil District Courthouse that gives forms and legal information to parents handling family cases without a lawyer.

If you searched for an attorney for the child, a family therapist, or a custody mediator in New Orleans, the court that has your case, the order in it, or your lawyer is the place to find who is appointed or approved. This site does not appoint professionals or refer you to one. What you can do here is come prepared: keep every message with your co-parent in one time-stamped thread, write down what happened with dates while it is fresh, and work on a parenting plan before the meeting.

Free help for parents in New Orleans: the court help desks and legal aid offices below were checked link by link for the site's free pro se help directory.

Orleans: Self-Help Resource Center. Volunteers at the courthouse give official court forms and information for divorce, custody, and child support cases to people without a lawyer.

Orleans legal aid: Southeast Louisiana Legal Services Corporation, (844) 244-7871.

FamilyCourtHelp.com is a self-help platform, not a law firm and not a court, and nothing on this page is legal, clinical, or mediation advice. Court rules and local programs change, so confirm anything that matters for a case with the court, the order that appointed you, or the program itself.

Frequently asked questions

Where are custody cases heard in New Orleans?

Divorce, custody, child support and other family cases in Orleans Parish are heard by the Domestic Relations Section of the Civil District Court for the Parish of Orleans in New Orleans.

Where can parents in New Orleans get free help with a family court case?

Free court help for parents without a lawyer: Self-Help Resource Center. Free legal aid: Southeast Louisiana Legal Services Corporation. Phone numbers and links are in the parents section above, checked link by link for the site's free pro se help directory.

How can parents prepare for custody mediation in New Orleans?

Bring the family calendar, a draft parenting plan, a list of the issues still open, and a list of shared costs with receipts. Parents can put all of that together on FamilyCourtHelp.com before the first session.

What does an attorney for the child do in a New Orleans custody case?

In a Louisiana custody or visitation case, the court may appoint an attorney to represent the child after a hearing if that is in the child's best interest, and must appoint one if a party shows a prima facie case that the child has been abused. The attorney interviews the child, reviews records and takes part in the hearing like either parent. You may also see "court-appointed attorney for the child". The rule is in La. R.S. 9:345. This is general information, not legal advice; the order in the case controls.

Is custody mediation required in Louisiana?

Louisiana courts may order parents to mediate custody and visitation disputes. The mediator helps the parties reach a settlement but cannot force them to agree, and must keep the mediation confidential.

Do parents in Louisiana have to take a parenting class?

Louisiana law allows courts to order a seminar for divorcing parents when minor children live with either parent, whether or not custody is contested. Whether a class is ordered, and which one, depends on the judicial district.