(18.71 KB)

2008 FAMILY LAW SECTION CALENDAR (53.5 KB)

ADOPTED 1.9.08 MINUTES (36 KB)

ADOPTED 2.6.08 MINUTES (36 KB)

The Family Law Section holds a business luncheon meeting on the first or second Wednesday of the scheduled month at Don's Seafood Restaurant Down Town. Annual dues are $25.00, which includes six to eight hours of reduced cost continuing legal education annually. The cost for lunch is $30.00 for members and $60.00 for non- members. Generally a business meeting is alternated with a continuing legal education course but may be combined at times. When a business meeting and continuing legal education course is combined cost is $30.00 for members and $60.00 for non-members.

The Section was first formed five years ago when a small group of family law attorneys began meeting informally to discuss the formation of a family law section of the Lafayette Parish Bar Association. The Section was officially formed when a set of by-laws was proposed by the group and adopted by the Lafayette Parish Bar Association in September of 1997. The late Paula Kobetz Woodruff was instrumental in the formation of the Section and in promoting improvements to the judicial system, as well as increasing the competency of attorneys who practiced family law. Shortly after Paula’s untimely death in October of 1998, the members unanimously voted to name the section in her honor.

The mission statement of the Paula K. Woodruff Family Law Section is as follows:
It shall be the mission of the Paula K. Woodruff Section of the Lafayette Parish Bar Association to foster civility, professionalism and legal competency among its membership, to improve the legal system in general with a particular emphasis on increasing the system’s sensitivity to the special needs of families and children, and to promote a system of specialized family courts in the Fifteenth Judicial District and in the State of Louisiana.

True to its mission, the Section has had a dramatic impact on the Fifteenth Judicial District Court and on the judicial system as a whole in the State of Louisiana. By entering into a working partnership with Judges Ronald D. Cox and Phyllis M. Keaty in 1999, the Section proposed sweeping amendments to the Fifteenth Judicial District’s Local Court Rules. These amendments were presented to all of the sitting judges in the District, who after making some minor revisions, had the foresight and wisdom to unanimously adopt the new rules. With the approval of the Louisiana Supreme Court, the family court system was implemented in the Fifteenth Judicial District in September of 1999.


The Paula K. Woodruff Family Law Section is the largest and most active family law section in the State. Currently, the Section has 110 members from Lafayette, Vermilion, Acadia, Iberia and St. Landry Parishes. The Section sponsors a number of activities throughout the year. For the past three years, the Section has offered a two hour professionalism and ethics seminar. The Section also hosts an annual Spring Fling Crawfish Boil and an annual Christmas/Installation Party for its membership and the judiciary. The Section has established a scholarship fund in honor of Paula K. Woodruff.

If you are interested in joining the Paula K. Woodruff Family Law Section, please click on the link below to send a messgae to the LPBA Office for further information. Be part of the solution!

Click here to send a message to the LPBA office.

• President: Diane Cote-Acadiana Legal Service Corporation
• Vice-President: Dean Doherty-Cox Fitzgerald, LLC
• Secretary and Treasurer: Janice Beyt-Beyt & Beyt

-Section Members in Crisis- Assistance
-Commitment to LVL

Revised Family Law Section Bylaws (18.71 KB)

SOCIAL- Maggie Simar and Judy Kennedy
CLE- Diane Cote and Linda Veazey
SCHOLARSHIP-
Courtesy Secretary - Judy Kennedy and
Cassie Theall
Court Liaison- Andre Doguet, Susan
Theall, Dean Doherty and
Sachida Ramon
Nominating Committee-

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE-

Family Court Rules - Final Supreme Court Version (101.64 KB)

Family Court Rules as Amended effective 10-31-07 (157.5 KB)

Louisiana Occupational Wage Data:

Family Violence Intervention Program

Louisiana State Police Sex Offender/Child Predator Registry

The Family Tree

15th JDC Family Court

232-HELP

Lafayette Parish Clerk

Louisiana's Online Guide to Free Legal Help

State of Louisiana Website

Louisiana Department of Social Services

Secretary of State

Louisiana State Bar

West Legal Directory

Louisiana Supreme Court

Louisiana Third Circuit Court of Appeal

Center for Families, Children, & the Courts

Louisiana Dept. Of Justice

The Journal of Family Psychology

Louisiana Law Reports from the Supreme Court and Louisiana Legislature

NCSC

Louisiana Attorney Diciplinary Board

American Bar Association

US. Dept. of HHS

Louisiana State Legislature

Supreme Court of the U.S.

U.S. Census Bureau

Online Resource for Louisiana Advocates serving the public interest

Louisiana Attorney General's Office

Disclaimer: The links provided herein are not comprehensive and do not in any way endorse or support the organizations or entities involved. They are merely provided as information and should be viewed as neutral data bases. Members, who want to share other similar sites for posting, should first provide the information to any member of the Section’s Executive Committee.

Louisiana Legal Services and Pro Bono Desk Manual