NEW ORLEANS – When Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005, Jones Walker was preparing to elect its first managing partner. Nearly two decades later, Bill Hines, who stepped into that role amid the city’s darkest days, has guided the firm through crisis, growth, and transformation while expanding its influence in both business and civic life. New
NEW ORLEANS – When Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005, Jones Walker was preparing to elect its first managing partner. Nearly two decades later, Bill Hines, who stepped into that role amid the city’s darkest days, has guided the firm through crisis, growth, and transformation while expanding its influence in both business and civic life.
New Corporate Structure Coincided with Katrina
A new governing structure creating a managing partner and an eight-person board was set to go to a vote just as Hurricane Katrina approached. “Needless to say, the ballot was suspended so the New Orleans office could prepare for the hurricane’s landfall,” said Hines.
In the aftermath, attorneys and staff were scattered from Baton Rouge and The Woodlands, Texas, to homes of friends and family across the country, making management a major challenge. The vote was eventually held at the end of the year, electing Hines as Jones Walker’s first managing partner in early 2006. “As you can imagine, this was not how I had envisioned my new leadership role beginning,” he said.
With no iPhones available at the time (the first iPhone was not released until June 2007), the firm relied on flip phones, conference calls, and quickly learned to use text messaging as a lifeline. “Within days we all learned, and it became a crucial method of communication to ensure all firm personnel was safe and accounted for, and then in reviving operations in the region,” Hines recalled.
He credited the firm’s survival to three factors: entrepreneurial attorneys who kept legal work flowing despite the disruption, a strong client base of national and multinational corporations that continued to provide business and pay invoices, and leadership’s commitment to morale.
The Katrina experience also strengthened Jones Walker’s disaster and recovery planning. Annual updates, tabletop exercises, and technology investments later enabled the firm to swiftly pivot during COVID-19.
At the same time, Hines was pulled deeper into civic leadership. Having already become active in the late 1990s, he co-chaired the Economic Development Subcommittee of the city’s Bring Back New Orleans Commission and chaired the United Way of Greater New Orleans, WYES-TV12, and the Teach for America Community Advisory Board during the 2005–06 recovery period. “When combined with managing the refurbishment of our flooded home and the recovery of Jones Walker, I had a very full plate,” he said.
That civic engagement, combined with Jones Walker’s longstanding culture of public service, gave the firm a prominent role in the city’s rebuilding. “The timing gave us both the authority and the opportunity during a critical rebuilding moment to potentially shape how New Orleans approached its future,” Hines said.
Success and Growth
Hines acknowledged there was initial hesitation when he was first elected because Jones Walker had never had a managing partner before and was creating a new governance structure. He said his early support came largely from being “a high producer,” but over time he believes his leadership has become evident and he finds this role “extremely fulfilling.”
“The firm is performing at the highest level in its history, with each year better than the previous one (knock on wood),” said Hines.
He noted that sustained success depends on consistent results and building a strong team of “smart attorneys who are self-starters with both intellectual and emotional intelligence,” along with effective management and senior staff.
“This has allowed us to grow to 18 offices across ten states and the District of Columbia,” Hines said. When he started his role as managing partner, Jones Walker had just eight offices nationwide.
A Professional Service
Hines said rather than being structured like a traditional law firm, Jones Walker is managed as a professional service.
“This creates a completely different culture. The firm operates with a flat management style, not hierarchical,” said Hines. “This gives our self-starting attorneys the authority to run their operations, opportunities for creativity, and freedom to express entrepreneurship in growing the firm.”
Most clients consider Jones Walker to be their partners rather than just their lawyers. Additionally, the firm has a cohesive cabinet of senior managers who work together as a unified leadership team and give attorneys the resources and backing to succeed.
Artificial Intelligence
“Jones Walker is also a firm that takes bold steps many others will not, such as starting an AI practice three years ago and expanding cybersecurity and digital law capabilities,” said Hines. He added that while some view such initiatives as the domain of only the largest firms, “we are going all in.”
In June, Jones Walker introduced the AI Law & Policy Navigator, a highly informative blog designed to help businesses, policymakers, and industry professionals keep pace with the fast-changing legal landscape surrounding artificial intelligence (AI). The blog, developed by partners Jason Loring, Andy Lee, Graham Ryan, and Lara Sevener, is part of the Jones Walker Privacy, Data Strategy, and Artificial Intelligence practice.
Jones Walker Success – A Team Effort
“Jones Walker’s founders, especially Joe Jones, A.J. Waechter, and George Denègre, deserve the credit for establishing a culture of civic and philanthropic involvement,” said Hines.
He said the firm views community service as both a way to strengthen the city and to build valuable professional networks which highlights Jones Walker attorneys’ institutional and industry knowledge.
“We have a very bright, emotionally intelligent roster of professionals,” said Hines.
New Orleans Needs Strong Leadership
“As a native New Orleanian, I have a deep love for this city and believe in its potential. We are unique, closer to a Caribbean or European city than any other in the United States, and I appreciate and enjoy our inimitable cultural and lifestyle aspects.”
Hines said New Orleans is at a critical juncture and must confront resource mismanagement with strong leadership to secure long-term success.
“We have significant assets, including, in addition to our culture, a great port system, a strong university system, two major league professional sports teams, and bright, young entrepreneurial minds, but we cannot afford to squander them. I want to see us right the ship and reach our full potential.”
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