A year after Hurricane Katrina gutted much of New Orleans and the surrounding area, business for some lawyers is flourishing from reconstruction projects, while others are still struggling to rebuild their practices and their lives. For a legal community that was home to about 7,500 lawyers, the storm wiped out communications, case files and, in some instances, entire practices, leaving their businesses in shambles and their futures uncertain. One year later, civil courts are back on line and criminal courts have begun again to hear cases on a limited basis. In addition, many lawyers have fortified their disaster recovery plans, having learned plenty from experience. A group of New Orleans attorneys interviewed by The National Law Journal earlier this month spoke with much more certainty and strength, compared with sentiments they expressed in the days following the storm.