Louisiana Post-Conviction Relief Attorney

Louisiana imposes strict time limits for post-conviction relief filings. You must file no later than two years from the date your conviction becomes final. According to the U.S. Courts, petitions for habeas corpus relief represent a significant portion of federal prisoner petitions, demonstrating how frequently individuals seek to challenge their convictions.

Post-conviction relief addresses issues that could not have been raised during trial or direct appeal, including:

• Newly discovered evidence: information that was unavailable during the original trial and could change the outcome
• Previously unknown errors: mistakes the defense could not have identified at trial
• Changes in law: new state or federal court rulings that affect your case
• Ineffective assistance of counsel: situations where your attorney’s performance fell below acceptable standards and affected the outcome
• Prosecutorial misconduct: failure to disclose exculpatory evidence or other improper conduct
• DNA evidence: testing results that prove innocence
• Witness issues: evidence of perjury or witness tampering

Individuals typically pursue post-conviction relief when their appeal was denied or when evidence reveals that due process protections were compromised during the original proceedings.

District courts deny relief requests for numerous reasons, making thorough preparation essential. Your attorney must carefully evaluate your application’s merit before filing.

Prior knowledge of the error. Courts may deny relief if you knew about the issue before your conviction became final.

Failure to raise claims properly. If you should have raised a claim during trial or on direct appeal, the court may deny your petition.

Missing filing deadlines. The court will reject claims filed after the two-year limitation period or when you previously had opportunities to submit the request.

Procedural errors. Failing to follow proper state or federal court procedures results in automatic denial without consideration of the underlying claim.

Insufficient legal representation. On occasion, attorneys lack the appellate experience needed to navigate post-conviction proceedings effectively.

Courts may decide your claim based solely on submitted documentation without holding a hearing. The outcome depends entirely on the strength of your application and supporting materials.