Trusted Divorce Attorney In Louisiana – Divorce Doesn’t Have to Be Overwhelming

Experienced family divorce lawyer in Metairie

Resolving family legal matters with experience, care, and a commitment to helping you move forward.

Dedicated to Resolving Family Matters With Care

At Gallagher and Westholz, we focus on helping families navigate challenging transitions with clarity and care. Whether you are facing divorce, child custody decisions, or financial support issues, we offer experienced legal guidance and mediation services designed to keep conflict low and solutions practical. Our goal is to help you reach lasting, respectful agreements.

Let’s Discuss

Step:1

Schedule your consultation

Contact our office to schedule an initial meeting with Mr. Gallagher and discuss your situation in a confidential, supportive setting.

Step:2

Hope to achieve in your case

Before your session, our client coordinator will reach out to learn about your concerns and what you hope to achieve through mediation.

Step:3

Helps reduce anxiety

Mr. Gallagher is there to listen to your situation and talk to you about what is likely happen. Just learning about what happens help reduce anxiety.

Step:4

Mr. Gallagher drafts the Petition

The last step is to sign a fee agreement and pay your retainer/ advanced deposit. Once that is done, Mr. Gallagher draft the Petition and files it in court.

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Dedicated Services for Divorce & Mediation

We handle all aspects of family and divorce law with care and expertise. Our team provides personalized legal solutions, protecting your rights while offering compassionate support during difficult times. You can trust us to advocate for your best interests every step of the way.

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Meet Mr. Ricky Gallagher

Over 30 years of extensive experience, focusing on divorce and family law matters for the past 20 years.

With over 30 years of legal experience, I have dedicated the past 20 years to divorce and family law matters. My approach centers on “counter punching”: we try to work through out fairly, but if they “punch” us, we “hit back hard.” By focusing on working throughout, I strive to help families navigate transitions smoothly, preserving relationships and reducing the emotional and financial toll often associated with litigation.

Navigating family law matters can be challenging. My foremost advice is to consider mediation as a first step. Mediation empowers you to maintain control over decisions that affect your family’s future, fostering cooperative solutions tailored to your unique situation. This process not only saves time and resources but also lays the groundwork for healthier post-divorce relationships

Call Today: 504-323-0660

Frequesntly Asked Questions

Feel free to reach out with any questions you may have about the divorce process. We’re here to provide clear answers and support as you navigate this challenging time.

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The first step is one person files a Petition in court. The other party then files an Answer and reconventional demands. It does not matter who files first. After a waiting period, you go back to court to finalize your divorce. The big issues decided first are: child custody, child support, alimony, and who gets to live in the house.

If you want more info for child support, go to our Child Support page here.

In Louisiana, alimony is called “spousal support.” There are two types of spousal support: “interim” and “final.”

Interim Spousal Support: This provides financial assistance during the divorce to maintain the standard of living. It can last through the divorce process and up to six months after the divorce is final
Final Spousal Support: May be awarded after the divorce, depending on need, income disparity, and fault.

If you want more info on alimony, go to our Alimony page here.

Custody can be:

Joint custody – Parents share decision-making
Sole custody – One parent makes all the decisions.

The court always considers the child’s best interests, including factors like parental stability, emotional ties, cooperation, and any history of abuse. (Exceptions to this involve physical/sexual abuse, substance abuse, or children under 5 years old.) Most of my cases are joint custody. Only in case of abuse or substance abuse do I see sole custody awarded.

If you want more info on custody, go to our Custody page here.

Louisiana law says if there is a history of physical or sexual abuse, called “family violence,” the abuser spouse will only receive supervised visitation with the kids. The law protects the victims, but we must prove a “history” of physical or sexual abuse. Emotional or verbal abuse is not enough.

Abuse also changes spousal support, cost of the divorce, and custody.

If you want more info on dealing with abuse, go to our Abuse page here.

Experienced family divorce lawyer in Metairie