CHAPTER 5. RIGHT TO COUNSEL
Art. 1016. Right to counsel
A.(1) The child and the identified parent shall each have the right to be represented
by separate counsel in a termination proceeding brought in accordance with this Title.
Neither the child nor anyone purporting to act on behalf of the child may be permitted to
waive the child's right to counsel.
(2) For actions brought under Article 1015.1, the court shall have discretion to decide
under the circumstances for each case whether to appoint counsel for the child. In no event
shall the petitioner of such action or the minor child be required to interact with the
respondent as a condition to pursue termination under this Article. Any counsel acting on
behalf of the child shall not require a petitioner to make the child available for any visitation
or conversation with the respondent or the respondent's family and shall not require any
nonoffending petitioner to take classes or provide updates on the child. A petitioner shall
have the right to seek an expedited suspensive appeal for any violation of this Article.
B. The court shall appoint the entity designated for the jurisdiction by the Louisiana
Supreme Court to provide qualified, independent counsel for the child in such a proceeding.
C. If the court determines that the parent is indigent and unable to employ counsel
solely for that reason, the court shall refer the parent for representation by the Indigent
Parents' Representation Program.
Acts 1991, No. 235, §10, eff. Jan. 1, 1992; Acts 2004, No. 301, §1, eff. June 18,
2004; Acts 2004, No. 321, §1; Acts 2006, No. 271, §1; Acts 2014, No. 354, §1; Acts 2017,
No. 239, §1; Acts 2022, No. 272, §1; Acts 2023, No. 271, §1, eff. June 9, 2023.