Title I. Courts · Chapter 7. Other Officers of the Court · Last amended 2025 · Last verified July 30, 2026
In one sentenceArticle 371 declares every attorney an officer of the court, requires decorum and due respect toward the court and opposing counsel, bars knowingly offering or encouraging false evidence, and, since a 2025 amendment, requires reasonable diligence to verify the authenticity of evidence, including material that may be artificially generated or altered.
Full Text of Art. 371
Text size
A. An attorney is an officer of the court. An attorney shall at all times act with decorum and in a manner consistent with the dignity and authority of the court and the role that the attorney should play in the administration of justice.
B. An attorney shall treat the court, its officers, jurors, witnesses, the opposing party, and opposing counsel with due respect; shall not interrupt opposing counsel or otherwise interfere with or impede the orderly dispatch of judicial business by the court; shall not knowingly encourage or produce false evidence, including evidence that is artificially generated or altered by any means; and shall not knowingly make any misrepresentation or otherwise impose upon or deceive the court.
C. An attorney shall exercise reasonable diligence to verify the authenticity of evidence before offering it to the court. If an attorney knew or should have known through the exercise of reasonable diligence that evidence was false or artificially manipulated, the offering of that evidence without disclosure of that fact shall be considered a violation of this Article.
D. For a violation of any of the provisions of this Article, the attorney is subject to punishment for contempt of court and further disciplinary action as is otherwise provided by law.
Amendment History
Amended by Acts 2025, No. 250, §3, eff. 8/1/2025.
Plain-English Summary
Article 371 starts from a premise that shapes how Louisiana lawyers are expected to behave in court: an attorney is not only a client's advocate but also an officer of the court, owing independent duties to the judicial system itself. That status requires an attorney to act at all times with decorum, in a manner consistent with the dignity and authority of the court and the role an attorney should play in the administration of justice.
The article then gets specific. An attorney must treat the court, its officers, jurors, witnesses, the opposing party, and opposing counsel with due respect, must not interrupt opposing counsel or otherwise interfere with the orderly dispatch of judicial business, must not knowingly encourage or produce false evidence, and must not knowingly misrepresent facts to or deceive the court.
A 2025 amendment added a duty aimed squarely at a modern problem: evidence that has been artificially generated or altered. An attorney must exercise reasonable diligence to verify the authenticity of evidence before offering it to the court, and offering evidence the attorney knew or should have known was false or artificially manipulated, without disclosing that fact, counts as a violation.
Violating any part of Article 371 exposes the attorney to punishment for contempt of court, on top of whatever further disciplinary action other law, including bar discipline, provides.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean for an attorney to be an "officer of the court"?
It means the attorney owes duties to the judicial system itself, not only to the client, including decorum, respect toward the court and opposing counsel, and honesty in dealing with the court.
Can an attorney be punished for offering evidence that turns out to be AI-generated or manipulated?
Yes. Article 371(C), added in 2025, requires reasonable diligence to verify authenticity before offering evidence, and offering evidence the attorney knew or should have known was false or artificially manipulated, without disclosure, is a violation.
What kind of respect does Article 371 require toward opposing counsel?
An attorney must treat opposing counsel with due respect and must not interrupt or otherwise interfere with or impede the orderly dispatch of judicial business.
What happens if an attorney violates Article 371?
The attorney is subject to punishment for contempt of court and to further disciplinary action as otherwise provided by law.
Source & verification. Article text is reproduced verbatim from
the vLex (Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure, 2026 Edition). Enacted by the Louisiana Legislature.
Last verified July 30, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as:attorney officer of the court louisianaai generated evidence attorney duty louisianadeepfake evidence louisiana lawyersattorney decorum duty louisianala cpp article 371