District attorneys generally must serve as counsel for certain parish and school boards, but some local governing bodies may hire their own attorneys.
§2. Duty of district attorney to act as counsel for parish boards and commissions A. The district attorneys of the several judicial districts of Louisiana, other than the parish of Orleans, shall ex officio be the regular attorneys and counsel for the police juries, parish school boards, and city school boards within their respective districts and of every state board or commission domiciled therein, including levee boards, hospital and asylum boards, education boards, and all state boards or commissions the members of which, in whole or in part, are elected by the people or appointed by the governor or other prescribed authority, except state boards and commissions domiciled at the city of Baton Rouge, parish of East Baton Rouge, and all boards in charge or in control of state institutions. B. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section or any law to the contrary, nothing shall prevent the governing authorities of the parishes of St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, Ouachita, Morehouse, Calcasieu, Vermilion, and Acadia or any city or parish school board in the state from each employing or retaining its own attorney to represent it generally. The employment of attorneys by the governing authorities shall relieve the district attorneys of the judicial districts serving the parishes of St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, Ouachita, Morehouse, Calcasieu, Vermilion, and Acadia from any further duty of representing the governing authorities, and the employment of an attorney by any city or parish school board shall relieve the district attorney of the judicial district serving such city or parish school board from any further duty of representing such school board. C. The district attorneys who shall refuse or wilfully fail to perform the duties required of them by this Section or wilfully fail to render faithful and efficient services in this regard shall be deemed guilty of malfeasance and gross misconduct and be removed from office in the manner prescribed by law. D.(1) Where a parish has adopted a charter for local self-government or other home rule charter and such charter provides for the employment of a parish attorney or a special attorney or counsel, the district attorney shall not be the regular attorney or counsel for such governing authority. (2) Notwithstanding the provisions of R.S. 42:261(C) and R.S. 42:263, in a parish which has adopted a charter for local self-government or other home rule charter, if the charter so provides, the parish governing authority may retain or employ any attorney or counsel to represent it generally or retain or employ any special attorney or counsel to represent it in any special matter without the approval of the attorney general. E. In the parish of Lafourche, the district attorney shall ex officio and without extra compensation, general or special, be the regular attorney and counsel for the parish governing authority, the school board, and every state board or commission domiciled therein, including levee boards, hospital and asylum boards, education boards, and all state boards or commissions the members of which, in whole or in part, are elected by the people or appointed by the governor or other prescribed authority. F. The parish school boards and governing authorities of the parishes of Iberia, St. Mary, and St. Martin may each contribute up to one hundred thousand dollars annually to the district attorney of the Sixteenth Judicial District to help defray the cost of providing legal services to the boards and commissions enumerated in Subsection A of this Section. Amended by Acts 1974, No. 479, §1; Acts 1978, No. 588, §1; Acts 1979, No. 324, §1; Acts 1981, No. 728, §1; Acts 1983, No. 184, §1; Acts 1983, No. 475, §1; SCR No. 86, 1983 R.S.; Acts 1985, No. 1009, §1; Acts 2001, No. 359, §1; Acts 2004, No. 639, §1; Acts 2018, No. 30, §1, eff. May 10, 2018.