Open Account Demands and Attorney Fees in Louisiana
Louisiana's open account law can let you recover attorney fees on unpaid invoices — but only if your demand is done right.
What an open account means
Many ongoing business relationships — a supplier, a contractor, a service provider billing client after client — operate on what Louisiana law treats as an open account. When invoices on such an account go unpaid, the law provides a path that can include recovering attorney fees.
That remedy is not automatic. It generally depends on sending a correct written demand before filing suit, which makes the demand letter the pivotal step.
Get the demand right
An effective open account demand identifies the amount due, itemizes or references the invoices, and gives the debtor a set period to pay. Sending a Louisiana unpaid invoice demand letter in a trackable way establishes when the debtor received it. For the broader collection playbook, see how to get clients to pay overdue invoices.
Because the right to fees can hinge on these details, it is worth getting the demand structured properly — and confirming the current requirements with a licensed Louisiana attorney for higher-value claims.