Louisiana Act 352 Overhauls Court Filings
Act 352 changes how Louisiana lawyers file court papers starting Jan. 1, 2026. After that date, attorney filings must be made either in person using paper or electronically through a clerk-approved e-filing system. For e-filings, a document is considered filed on the date and time shown on the system’s acceptance confirmation. Approved e-filing systems include the parish courts’ Louisiana Clerks’ Remote Access Authority (LCRAA) portal and the independent filing systems of the five Courts of Appeal and the Louisiana Supreme Court.
The Act applies across civil and criminal matters. In courts that accept e-filings, the electronic record will serve as the official record, with separate treatment for trial/hearing exhibits in criminal cases. Public access to electronically filed records follows the same access rules that apply to paper filings.
A key compliance change is privacy: filers, not clerks, are responsible for ensuring that sensitive personal information is not included in public filings. Do not include Social Security numbers, driver’s license or state ID numbers, financial account numbers, full dates of birth, tax IDs, or any information protected from disclosure by law. Firms should add redaction checks to templates and workflows and train staff accordingly.
Only a narrow set of “original documents” may still be sent by U.S. mail or courier: original wills/testaments; original promissory notes or other authentic-form instruments; motions for default judgment that do not require a hearing (with supporting documentation); and any document the law requires to be an original. Everything else must be filed in person or e-filed.
Louisiana practitioners are urged to start planning now by choosing your default filing mode, verify which courts require filings in which manner, create a list of court or parish-specific platforms, update engagement letters and templates for redaction, and build a process to confirm e-filing acceptance near deadlines and train support staff on this change prior to the deadline on Jan. 1, 2026. Finally, as a general rule, attorneys should avoid waiting until the last minute to file papers. Most courts do not provide IT assistance for filers outside of regular court hours.
For more information, visit the Louisiana Legislature’s site to read the full text of Act 352 (https://www.legis.la.gov/Legis/ViewDocument.aspx?d=1425958&utm) or read the Louisiana 5th Circuit’s notice regarding the Act (https://www.fifthcircuit.org/PDF/ACT352(2025)FilingMethods.pdf?utm) or find out more about the Louisiana Clerks Remote Access Authority on the Louisiana Clerks of Court Association website (https://www.laclerksofcourt.org/lcraa/lcraa-overview?utm)