Professional travel as an attorney looks different in every practice area. While most of us are not interested in a 3-decade career as a traveling trial attorney, many of us have periods or positions with more frequent work travel.
The Air Force assigned me to Colorado as a criminal defense attorney and later a senior defense counsel, where the vast majority of my criminal trials were and are litigated out of state. Over the past few years, I've litigated cases, taught trial advocacy courses, and attended CLEs in thirteen states on a nearly monthly basis. Suffice to say, I have gotten very familiar living out of a suitcase.
Here are a few tips to help you excel personally and professionally in a high-pressure legal environment while on the road:
1. Prepare before you fly: Initial calls to clients, co-counsel, and other parties where you provide a reliable contact method goes a long way to ensure communication flows smoothly. Easy lines of communication among geographically separated players ensure issues that might cause delays, require additional filings, or change case strategy are identified early. Expectation setting and work distribution are also critical during those initial calls. Charts, decision matrixes, or trial plans as living documents help team members stay on the same page when working toward a performative event. No paralegal or co-counsel should arrive on location without a solid understanding of their role and a file box or laptop full of completed tasks.
The better you prepare, issue spot, investigate, interview, and shape the trial landscape with motions prior to traveling, the less of your crucial boots-on-the-ground time is focused on putting out avoidable fires. Yet, like planning a wedding, the best thing you can do while planning for trial on the road is accept that something (maybe multiple somethings) will inevitably go wrong, especially in this increasingly technological world. Did you want to impeach a witness with a recorded interview, but the video file will not play? Whether you (1) fix it, (2) use a prepared alternative, or (3) adapt on the spot using your understanding of alternative impeachment methods, preparation before you’re airborne puts you in the best position to solve the issue.
2. Take care of yourself mentally: We all know the practice of law can be stressful. Compounded by the added pressure of trial litigation and traveling, that stress can have a palpable impact on your health and your job performance. Prolonged stress and sleep deprivation impact your cognitive function, impacting memory, creativity, and motivation. Thus, it is in your own and your employer’s best interest for you to take care of yourself, especially when you travel frequently for work.
On a micro level, packing personal items and setting up a routine with family members can reduce the disassociation and isolation associated with frequent work travel. Maybe you bring a heating pad or your favorite nighttime tea mug to personalize the room. Maybe you run through a daily checklist with your spouse or a consistent 9PM bedtime FaceTime.
You also may need a “hard reset” in the form of stepping away from work. The Harvard Business Review reported on the benefits of employee vacation time for productivity, identifying that small breaks like sleeping and taking a walk can increase creativity, while longer vacations can produce more ingenuity and drastically reduce stress, anxiety, and negative mood symptoms.[1] Planning for vacation and having something to look forward to can also increase mood and reduce burnout.
3. Take care of yourself physically: Taking care of your body while living out of a suitcase means focusing on three categories: relaxation, nourishment, exercise.
Relaxation: In addition to the psychological benefits of sleeping discussed above, the physical benefits of rectifying sleep deficits cannot be overstated. Sleep promotes hearth health, strengthens the immune system, and regulates blood sugar, combating the most negative physical risks of stress.[2] Meditation, yoga, and massages similarly encourage relaxation, while improving circulation, flexibility, and body stiffness.
Nourishment: Eating on the run can be difficult, especially in an unfamiliar location. What fuel you put in your body impacts your energy levels, digestion, and mood, all of which can impact your confidence and effectiveness in the courtroom. For longer trips, scheduling time to stock up on healthy options at a grocery store and packing protein drinks, energy bars, and other healthy snacks to carry during the day prevents you from feeling pressured to eat fast food or other quick unhealthy options. Best practices aside, when you do find yourself needing to eat out, focus on the healthiest option. If, after a long day of trial, choosing a chicken wrap or salad at a fast-food restaurant is a win, take the win and keep going with your head high.
Exercise: It’s no secret that maintaining an exercise routine is more difficult with the inconsistent schedules, unfamiliar routes, and differences in hotel gym amenities while traveling. Finding a way to be flexible with your fitness yet consistent with your routine is key. Setting attainable goals means considering your specific situation and designing a routine to achieve your end result. Maybe your routine includes long runs on Saturdays, because you often fly on Sundays. Maybe your routine focuses on exercising a specific number of days a week rather than completing a specific exercise that requires a gym. Maybe you commit to lifting hard on the weeks you do not travel. Maybe you have a friend interested in keeping each other accountable long-distance. The key is to make a plan and commit to prioritizing your fitness so that you can stay energized and effective in the courtroom.
4. Take care of yourself financially: Frequent travel for work can produce valuable financial benefits. Knowing your company’s travel and expense policies is important not only to avoid accidental misuse, but also to know how to maximize your reimbursements. Within the limitations of your company’s policies, look for opportunities to earn rewards and lifestyle upgrades.
Reward-earning credit cards may scare consumers off with annual fees, but frequent work travelers often make more than back in rewards than the cost of that fee. For example, a monthly traveler who often eats at the airport may strategically cut costs with a luxury credit card with access to airline lounges where food, alcohol, and coffee are complimentary. The airline miles, hotel points, or cash back from these cards may also be something to benefit your family when you do take those much-needed vacations. Make sure to read the fine print to maximize benefits. If travel earns bonus points, maybe you want to charge dinner to the room at a hotel restaurant to ensure the charge is categorized as travel rather than dining.
Additionally, frequent flyer programs and hotel or rental car loyalty programs can be particularly beneficial for employees allowed to book their own travel logistics. If your company has cost-cutting rules regarding which flights you can purchase, a frequent flyer may benefit from loyalty with multiple airlines, especially given that these programs are often free to sign-up for and give you miles and other perks toward your next personal vacation.
Bonus Point – Teach, mentor, and lead! As you discover financial perks or efficient packing hacks that make travel more bearable, keep that office morale high by passing them along to your junior counsel.
Happy Traveling Counselors!
Disclaimer: The ideas and thoughts expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of any Government agency nor the Department of the Air Force.
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Anna Sturges is an active-duty Air Force judge advocate and CWBA member. Stationed at Buckley Space Force Base in Aurora, Colorado, Anna serves as a senior defense counsel, litigating military criminal trials and supervising 6 defense offices in Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming, and Southern California. She is passionate about hiking and exploring Colorado with her husband and two corgis.
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