Malbrough & Gottschalk, Attorneys at Law, is located in Houma, Louisiana, just one block from the 32nd Judicial District Courthouse at the corner of Roussell and School Street.
Our main area of practice is Family Law which includes Divorce, Property Partitions, Child Custody and Visitation, Spousal and Child Support, Adoptions, Prenuptial and Postnuptial Agreements, Interdictions, and other matters families may need assistance with. We also handle Personal Injury, Criminal Defense, Expungements, Wills, Successions, and Civil Litigation.
Our attorneys have extensive trial experience and keep current on the latest trends and changes in Louisiana law by regularly attending professional conferences and continuing legal education seminars on family law. The firm handles difficult cases in the area of family law, including emotionally sensitive cases and crisis intervention. The attorneys consult with other professionals such as accountants, co-parenting counselors, substance abuse counselors and custody evaluators when needed.
Prior to turning the firm over to Cheleste Gottschalk, Joan M. Malbrough has served the legal community in South Louisiana since 1992, following her graduation from Mississippi College School of Law. She added her first associate in the summer of 1999. In January 2017, Estelle E. Mahoney joined the firm. As of January 1, 2024, Joan Malbrough was appointed to serve as the new Terrebonne Parish IVD Child Support Hearing officer. Joan M. Malbrough has retired from private practice and is no longer taking new cases or making court appearances.
Estelle E. Mahoney graduated from Louisiana State University Law School in 1980, where she earned the Order of the Coif for graduating in the top ten percent of her class. She has thirty-seven years of litigation experience, practicing before courts in Louisiana, Texas and Washington. In addition to her state court licenses, Ms. Mahoney is licensed to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal, and the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern, Western and Middle Districts of Louisiana.
Cheleste Gottschalk joined the team in 2021 and took over the firm in 2023. Ms. Gottschalk also works for the Terrebonne Parish Office of the District Public Defender’s office. She has represented hundreds of clients in felony, misdemeanor, and child in need of care cases. She is also a member of the Terrebonne Parish Family Preservation Court team, where she works to protect the right’s of parents whose children are in State’s custody.
Aside from legal experience, the firm prides itself on being community minded. Firm attorneys are active in various civic organizations and projects such as the Houma-Terrebonne Chamber of Commerce, the Kiwanis Club of Houma, Junior Auxiliary of Houma, MacDonnell Children’s Home, and the Terrebonne Bar Association. The firm was nominated for the Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year for 2000 and 2001.
As of January 1, 2024, Joan Malbrough was appointed to serve as the new Terrebonne Parish IVD Child Support Hearing officer. Joan M. Malbrough has retired from private practice and is no longer taking new cases or making court appearances.