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LOUISIANA LEGAL GUIDES

Know Your Rights. Know What to Expect.

Three comprehensive guides to Louisiana criminal defense, family law, and personal injury — written by a Lake Charles attorney with 17 years of experience, in plain language, for the people who need it most.

About These Guides

Practical legal knowledge written for you, not for lawyers

When you are arrested, served with divorce papers, or injured in an accident, the legal system does not pause to explain itself to you. These guides exist to change that. Each one covers a full area of Louisiana law — step by step, chapter by chapter — written in plain language by an attorney who handles these cases in Lake Charles every day.

These are not simplified overviews. They are deep, practical resources covering the law, the process, your rights, and what to expect at every stage — from the day something happens to the day your matter is resolved. If you put them together, you would have a book. Use them however is most helpful to you.

Criminal Defense

The Louisiana Criminal Defense Guide

For anyone who has been arrested, charged, or is under investigation for a crime in Lake Charles or Calcasieu Parish.

Chapters include

  • Your Rights After Arrest in Louisiana

  • The Booking Process at Calcasieu Parish Correctional Center

  • Bond and Release — How It Works in the 14th JDC

  • Your First Court Appearance — Arraignment

  • Understanding Your Charges — Felony vs. Misdemeanor

  • Discovery, Pre-Trial Motions, and Suppression

  • Plea Agreements vs. Going to Trial

  • Sentencing in Louisiana

  • Expungement — Clearing Your Record

  • Why Local Representation Matters in the 14th JDC

Read the Criminal Defense Guide →
Family Law

The Louisiana Family Law Guide

For anyone facing divorce, child custody, support disputes, or protective order proceedings in Louisiana.

Chapters include

  • How Louisiana Family Law Differs from Other States

  • Filing for Divorce — Art. 102 vs. Art. 103

  • Community Property — What Is and Isn’t Divided

  • The 180-Day and 365-Day Separation Rules

  • Child Custody — The 12-Factor Best-Interest Standard

  • Child Support — The Income Shares Model Explained

  • Spousal Support — Interim and Final Periodic Support

  • Protective Orders in Louisiana

  • Custody and Support Modification

  • What to Expect in Calcasieu Parish Family Court

Read the Family Law Guide →
Personal Injury

The Louisiana Personal Injury Guide

For anyone injured in an accident in Lake Charles — whether a car crash, workplace injury, maritime accident, or slip and fall.

Chapters include

  • What to Do Immediately After an Accident

  • Louisiana’s One-Year Prescription Period

  • Pure Comparative Fault — La. C.C. Art. 2323

  • How Insurance Companies Handle Injury Claims

  • What Damages You Can Recover in Louisiana

  • The Litigation Process — Filing to Trial

  • Maritime Injuries — Jones Act and LHWCA

  • Industrial and Workplace Accidents in Southwest Louisiana

  • Bad Faith Insurance — La. R.S. 22:1973

  • How Contingency Fee Representation Works

Read the Personal Injury Guide →
About the Author

Written by a Lake Charles attorney who handles these cases every day


These guides were written by Jacob Colonna, a criminal defense and family law attorney in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Jacob has practiced in the 14th Judicial District Court for 17 years, trying cases in criminal, civil, and family matters across Southwest Louisiana since 2009.

Everything in these guides reflects how Louisiana law actually works in Calcasieu Parish — not how national legal websites describe it, not how it works in other states. The statutes cited are Louisiana statutes. The courts described are the courts Jacob appears in every week. The processes explained are the processes his clients go through.

If you have a legal matter in Lake Charles and want to talk directly with Jacob, call (337) 656-3212 for a free 30-minute consultation.

Jacob Colonna, Attorney at Law

Jacob Colonna

Attorney at Law · Colonna Law Firm, LLC

17 years in the 14th JDC · Criminal Defense · Family Law · Personal Injury · Lake Charles native · LSU Law 2009

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Serving Lake Charles · Sulphur · Westlake · Jennings · DeRidder · Kinder · Calcasieu Parish · Southwest Louisiana