I love New Orleans. I was born here, I practice law here, and I live here.

New Orleans. I was born here, I practice law here, and I live here. A lot of good things are associated with the great City of New Orleans. Wonderful food, a culture all our own, Jazzfest and jazz funerals. We have Mardi Gras Indians and Mardi Gras Day. In fact, we have two weeks of Mardi Gras not just Fat Tuesday. But we are much more than that.

As we approach the eighth anniversary of Katrina, many, many memories rush to mind. Of course the horrible photos of the Convention Center and the Superdome. The flooded streets, the faces of despair….the people stranded on the 1-10 Interstate Highway. Right after the storm passed we thought we had escaped the blunt of the storm and that our fragile city would live to laugh again. We did not know then that many tears would be shed before the laughter returned.

All of those who love this great city endured the harsh comments of people saying things like….New Orleans should not be rebuilt, the city sits precariously between the river and the lake below sea level and will eventually go. We all know the real root of the comments. But that food for thought for another day. Let’s not forget the comments by the then Governor of Mississippi Haley Barbour that went sort of….we in Mississippi are endured the blunt of the storm without all the complaining that others are doing. The fact is that the damage to New Orleans was not the fault of nature like in Mississippi, in New Orleans, it was the fault of men who ignored the week levees that created the rush of water into the city that killed so many and destroyed so much. That’s why we were, and are, angry! But today New Orleans is a beehive of activity and there is plenty to rejoice.

• New businesses are opening their doors here. • Young college graduates are moving to New Orleans in large numbers • Streets are sporting new tops where holes were before. • First time unemployment rate dropped to 7.4 percent. • A multibillion-dollar biomedical district is under construction on Tulane Avenue • The Idea Village is launching workshop series for business owners. • The Port of New Orleans recently has seen container volumes jump by 50 percent. • For the first time in decades, the New Orleans area is attracting investments and jobs from leading companies around the world. •

Governor Jindal praised New Orleans schools in a recent NOLA.com article saying “Since becoming our nation’s first district of autonomously run charter schools, New Orleans schools have improved student achievement measures from 35 percent proficient on literacy and math tests to 63 percent. The New Orleans graduation rate now tops the state.

New Orleans has also attracted big names in the entertainment industry that have not hesitated to lend their name and their goodwill to help the city. Harry Connick Jr., Sandra Bullock, Ellen Degeneres, Channing Tatum, John Goodman and Brad Pitt as well as many others, come to our city often and invest their time, money and energy to help the city continue to move forward. Our film industry is vigorously growing. Today we are all breathing a sigh of relief. We are not forgotten, ignored and abandoned. We are great comeback story. Of course, the good food, the great music and the wonderful architecture helps!

About Martin E. Regan, Jr.

Year after year, Martin E. Regan Jr., the firm’s senior partner, has dedicated tireless efforts on behalf of the accused and produce wins for clients that a less determined advocate would have thought hopeless.  Martin E. Regan Jr.’s ability to tackle and win tough criminal cases has resulted in verdicts of acquittal in many highly publicized trials.