Malbrough & Gottschalk, Attorneys at Law, is located in Houma, Louisiana, just one block the 32nd Judicial District Courthouse at the corner of School and Roussell streets.
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 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, which 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.
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. With two attorneys on staff, Joan A.P.L.C., strives to provide clients with the immediate attention they need and expertise in a variety of areas of legal practice.
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.
The attorneys in the firm practice throughout South Louisiana, and including Terrebonne, Lafourche, Assumption, Jefferson and St. Mary Parish District and City courts. Practice is not limited to South Louisiana, however, as all attorneys in the firm are licensed to practice throughout the state of Louisiana in district, city, and federal courts, including the Fifth and Ninth Circuit Courts of Appeal, in addition to North Carolina, and Texas.
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.
Malbrough & Gottschalk, Attorneys at Law, is a unique firm, concentrating on the individual. Our primary goal is to guide our clients during what can be a difficult and stressful experience. Family law, one of the most challenging areas of law, is a large part of our practice. We understand that while achieving a good outcome for our clients is our primary objective, we are also dealing with families, and we strive to minimize unnecessary conflict and acrimony.
We take difficult criminal defense cases, as we believe that every individual has a constitutional right to competent legal representation when faced with criminal prosecution. We do discriminate based on perceived guilt or innocence. We do our very best for all our clients and pride ourselves on being knowledgeable and professional.