Personal jurisdiction is the authority a court has to make legally enforceable orders related to a person or entity and the property of the person or entity, and usually arises when a person has been sued in a lawsuit. For a court to have personal jurisdiction, the person or entity generally (1) must be a resident of the state in which the court is located; (2) as a nonresident, must have initiated sufficient minimum contacts with the state in which the lawsuit is filed; or (3) must have agreed to be governed by the laws of the state (in a contract or website terms) in which the lawsuit is filed.

In Louisiana, personal jurisdiction refers to the power of a Louisiana court to bring a person or entity into its court process and to make decisions that are legally binding upon them. For a Louisiana court to establish personal jurisdiction, the defendant must typically have a connection to the state. This can be established if the defendant is a resident of Louisiana or if the defendant, as a nonresident, has sufficient minimum contacts with the state. Minimum contacts might include conducting business in Louisiana, owning property in the state, or committing a tortious act within the state. Additionally, a nonresident may consent to the jurisdiction of Louisiana courts by agreeing to it in a contract, such as through a forum selection clause, or by using a website with terms that specify consent to Louisiana jurisdiction. The state's long-arm statute, found in the Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure, extends the reach of its courts to nonresidents in certain circumstances, consistent with due process requirements under the U.S. Constitution.