Jones Walker's Disaster Preparedness & Recovery Client Team, developed in response to Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma, was honored by New Orleans CityBusiness as one of the Innovators of the Year for 2006. A total of 21 companies, 2 schools, and 4 nonprofit organizations were honored for meeting the challenges of post-hurricane Louisiana, taking business risks, introducing new ideas, and developing different, more diverse identities.

In response to the needs of clients, Jones Walker developed the Disaster Preparedness & Recovery Client Team. Within one week after Hurricane Katrina, the team was up and running. Across the United States, Jones Walker attorneys banded together, formed a legal think tank, and began identifying the issues clients would face. Information was distributed via electronic communications, seminars, and one-on-one meetings, in most instances on a pro bono basis. The Disaster Preparedness & Recovery Client Team, which was established with the goal to get clients back in business, has transitioned from addressing immediate needs to the extended opportunities, and is now advising clients on the many incentives available to them, including the Gulf Opportunity Zone Act of 2005.