Conversations about wills, successions, and planning for the future often feel heavy. Families come to us unsure where to start, worried about making mistakes, and afraid of leaving loved ones unprotected. At Waitz & Downer, we’re grateful to have someone who meets those concerns with patience, clarity, and genuine care: attorney Ellen D. Doskey.
For more than 25 years, Ellen has practiced law in Louisiana. For the last eight of those years, she has guided families at our firm through estate planning and successions with a calm, steady presence. In her bio video, she shares why this work matters to her and how she walks people through some of life’s hardest moments—planning for the future and navigating the loss of a loved one.
Meet The Person Behind The Planning & Successions Work
In the video, Ellen introduces herself simply: she has been with our firm for the last eight years, and she primarily handles estate planning and successions. That straightforward introduction reflects how she approaches her clients’ concerns—clearly, directly, and without legal fluff.
She explains that she chose this path when she “saw the need for a more family-oriented practice.” That phrase says a lot about who she is. She doesn’t talk about documents first. She talks about families. She talks about what people go through when someone dies, and about the relief they feel when a plan is finally in place.
As she puts it, she wants “to be able to help people through those difficult times when a loved one dies, as well as to help people plan for that inevitable death.” She doesn’t shy away from the hard topics. Instead, she leans in with clients and gives them space to talk through what worries them most.
How Ellen Listens & Helps Families Find A Way Forward
One of the most revealing moments in Ellen’s video comes when she talks about what she likes most about her work. She says, “I like dealing with the people who have some certain issues that need to be talked through, and I'm very good at listening to their problems and creating creative solutions to those problems.”
That line captures her style in the conference room. She doesn’t rush people. She listens. She asks questions. She takes the time to understand family dynamics, fears about the future, and practical concerns about property, children, or aging parents.
Her work focuses on wills, successions, trusts, estate planning, and elder law. Those areas can feel technical on paper, but in practice they involve very human questions: Who will care for a spouse? How will children manage an inheritance? What happens to the family home? Ellen brings her strong research and writing background to these questions, but she always starts with the person in front of her.
Another quote in the video sums up that approach. She explains, “every person is treated as an individual, and there's no cookie cutter solution to anyone's problems.” Estate plans, succession issues, and elder law concerns all look different from one family to the next. Ellen understands that, and she builds plans that reflect the realities of each client’s life.
Deep Louisiana Roots & A Career Built On Care
Ellen’s calm confidence comes from decades of legal experience rooted right here in Louisiana. She graduated from Loyola University New Orleans in 1990 and LSU School of Law in 1994. After law school, she clerked for three years with the Louisiana Second Circuit Court of Appeals in Shreveport. That early work sharpened her research and appellate writing skills and gave her insight into how courts view complex legal questions.
She then returned to her hometown of Houma, where she has built her life, raised her family with her husband, Chuck, and continued to serve the people of South Louisiana. In addition to her work with our clients, she serves as an assistant district attorney for Terrebonne Parish and leads research and appellate work there. That role reflects the trust local leaders place in her judgment and legal analysis.
Her commitment to the community extends beyond the courtroom. Over the years, she has served on the board of The Haven, a social services agency dedicated to stopping violence against women, and on the Terrebonne Parish Tree Board. She also helped launch Girls on the Run, Houma–Terrebonne, as a founding board member, supporting an after-school program that helps girls build healthy, confident, and joyful attitudes.
These roles all share a common thread: Ellen invests her time where it can help people feel safer, more supported, and more hopeful about their future. That same mindset carries into every estate plan she drafts and every succession she guides to completion.
Why Ellen’s Work Matters To Our Clients & Our Firm
At Waitz & Downer, we stand with South Louisiana families after injuries, losses, and storms. Many of our clients come to us in crisis. They need help putting their lives back together after something unexpected. Ellen’s work adds another vital layer of support. She helps families prepare in advance and navigate the legal side of loss with as little added stress as possible.
When someone dies without a clear plan, the legal process can feel overwhelming. Questions pile up: Who handles the estate? How do we transfer property? What happens if family members disagree? Ellen steps into that uncertainty with a steady hand. She listens, explains options in plain language, and works toward solutions that honor both the law and the family’s values.
Her focus on elder law and estate planning also gives peace of mind to clients who want to protect their loved ones long before anything happens. She helps them put documents in place so relatives don’t have to guess about their wishes later. In doing so, she carries forward our firm’s commitment to clarity, compassion, and practical results.
Getting To Know Ellen Before You Meet
When you watch Ellen’s video, you see more than a lawyer describing a practice area. You see someone who understands that behind every will or succession file sits a story—a lifetime of work, a family home, cherished relationships, and very real fears about what comes next.
Her more than 25 years of experience practicing law in Louisiana, her role as a lead research and appellate attorney for Terrebonne Parish, and her community work with organizations like The Haven and Girls on the Run all point in the same direction. She shows up for people. She pays attention. She helps them take the next right step, even when the topic is as difficult as “inevitable death,” as she phrases it in the video.
For families in South Louisiana who want to plan ahead or need help after a loved one passes, that combination of skill and heart matters. When you sit down with Ellen, you meet someone who treats you as an individual, not a case number, and who believes, as she says, that “there's no cookie cutter solution to anyone's problems.”
If you have questions about wills, successions, trusts, estate planning, or elder law, we invite you to reach out to Waitz & Downer at (985) 331-7832. Your consultation will be free and confidential, and you’ll have the chance to talk with a team that includes attorneys like Ellen—professionals who live here, care deeply about this community, and take the time to listen.