We serve the people and businesses that make New Orleans great. We all live in neighborhoods driven by small businesses like bars, restaurants, and corner stores. We all enjoy Mardi Gras krewes and the clubs who dance and perform with them. Those businesses and organizations, and the bartenders, servers, cooks, musicians, and countless others who make them successful, create the sense of community that enriches our lives. S² Law exists to ensure that those members of the community have access to information critical to their needs and quality, reasonably priced legal protection. Scroll down to see a summary of our Services and trusted resources to help you inform yourself about common legal issues facing members of our community. You can Contact Us below by e-mail or phone.
Services
As community lawyers, we believe quality legal services should be understandable, practical, and within reach. For many services—including estate-planning packages—we offer clear, flat-fee pricing so clients know what to expect from the outset. We also offer payment plans and, when appropriate, sliding-scale fees based on financial need. Because every matter is different, fees and payment arrangements are discussed openly during the initial consultation and agreed upon before work begins.
Notary Services
Everyone needs a notary, especially in Louisiana. We will come to you within the French Quarter, Marigny, and Bywater to notarize your documents.
Estate Planning
Plan for the future with comprehensive estate planning services. We help you create wills, establish trusts, designate powers of attorney, and develop strategies to protect your assets for future generations. Please see some of our services and packages below:
- The Power Package: Estate and medical planning are not just for the wealthy. Everyone needs a basic will, living will, medical power of attorney, and durable (financial) power of attorney. This guarantees that you have an advocate in the hospital, someone to access your accounts and pay your bills if you are incapacitated, clear instructions to your loved ones about end of life care, and that your savings go where you want them to go, not to that relative you only know from fights at Thanksgiving. We offer all four documents as a fixed price package. For those with more complex estate planning needs cost will be discussed before we proceed.
- Medicaid Estate Planning: Preserve your assets while planning for long-term care. Our Medicaid estate planning strategies help you qualify for benefits without sacrificing your family’s financial security.
Business Protection Plan
Many small businesses decide that legal support is too expensive for their profit margins. We believe that every business deserves a proactive plan to ensure that contracts are drafted in their favor and their compliance needs are addressed. The Business Protection Plan includes:
- Vendor Contract Template: Vendors often provide contract templates unfavorable to small businesses and then refuse to negotiate. We will provide a template drafted in your favor so that you can be confident your contracts are fair.
- Intellectual Property Evaluation: It’s important to ensure that their logos, signs, and merchandise do not infringe on third party intellectual property.
- HR Compliance Analysis: Every business has regulations to consider when it comes to employees, whether those laws regulate workplace safety or discrimination. We can conduct a comprehensive review of your business and ensure that you are compliant and know what to look for in the future.
- Liability Analysis: Every business has liability, whether that is a slip and fall risk or a local law on sales tax. We are here to assess what your liabilities are and help you manage them.
Contract Review & Negotiation
Before you sign anything, let us review it. We identify unfavorable terms, hidden risks, and missing protections. If you feel you need more support, we are happy to negotiate on your behalf to get you terms that work in your favor, whether you’re a small business owner or an individual.
Healthcare Compliance
We advise healthcare providers and organizations on compliance with federal and state laws, helping you proactively protect your business and avoid costly penalties and operate with confidence.
City Permits & Regulatory Matters
We help individuals and businesses navigate permit applications, zoning issues, licensing requirements, and other regulatory matters — cutting through the red tape so you can focus on what you do best.
Case Analysis & Referrals
We review your legal situation thoroughly, provide an honest assessment of your options, and, where appropriate, connect you with trusted specialists in our network.
Animal Law
We are a city of pet owners and animal lovers of all kinds, and it can be difficult to navigate the laws and regulations governing the furry inhabitants of New Orleans. We are happy to help you address any issues that come up, and we have provided a high quality summary of Louisiana Animal Law for reference on our Resources page below.
About Us
Sarah Ney
Attorney
Sarah Ney grew up in Switzerland and Austria, the daughter of American expatriates. After obtaining a PhD in English literature from the University of Salzburg, she came back to the US and attended Notre Dame law school. After graduation, she spent 6 years clerking for federal trial and appellate courts before moving to New Orleans, where she has lived and practiced law for 30 years. In her years of law practice she has litigated in insurance defense and medical malpractice, among other areas. She has also worked in City licensing and other regulatory issues and estate planning.
Sara Pettit
Attorney
A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Sara Pettit was a world traveler in her youth. She lived in Germany in high school and went on to complete a degree in Modern History and German at Oxford University in the UK. Returning to the US for law school, she obtained her law degree from the University of Maryland. After graduation, she came to New Orleans to volunteer at Legal Aid and fell in love. She has been admitted to practice law in New Orleans for 18 years, and has lived in the French Quarter, Marigny, and Bywater for 15 years. Her practice areas have included Labor and Employment, Mass Torts, commercial transactional law, and Healthcare contracts and compliance.
Resources
Tenant Support
We know the majority of the community rent their homes, and it’s important to understand their rights and obligations. Here’s a link to the City’s Healthy Homes program, which provides clear guidance. We have also included the website for Southeast Louisiana Legal Services, which specializes in Tenant rights:
https://nola.gov/next/healthy-homes/topics/resources-for-renters/
Animal Rights and Cruelty
Like so many members of the community, we have furry friends who brighten up every day. It can be difficult to find good information about our legal rights and responsibilities. Here’s a comprehensive summary of Louisiana law regarding animals:
Contact S2
If you think you might need our services, please fill out the e-mail contact form below. The more detail you provide, the easier it will be for us to quickly assess your legal needs. You are welcome to call at 504-513-8800 or fill out the contact us form below if you’d like to provide more detail.
