Travel Tips

Good tips in general, not that I've ever worked anywhere that ever took me on a trip!
Think big money firms like Flower White for this folks!

Traveling Tips for Young Lawyers
Kip Mendrygal
April 02, 2010

At some point, new associates will go on their first business trip with the partners for whom they work. I usually have learned travel lessons the hard way. Here is what I wish someone had told me long ago.
1. Immediately sign up for airline, hotel and rental car frequent flyer programs.
I asked around and was disappointed to hear that some young associates I work with hadn't done this. Lawyers who travel even a little will find that these points add up quickly. Most programs let account holders retain points and miles for a long time. Early on, I signed up for every airline, hotel and rental car program I conceivably could use, and I make sure I get my points on every trip.
What a pain, right? Not necessarily. Just trash all of those individual plastic cards for each program, pick one sturdy one and write down all membership numbers on a sticky note taped to the back. Assistants and travel agents should have those numbers and add them at the time of booking. Carry the card with the master list for times when they don't. I've been to Europe twice (gratis) thanks to the points I earned on business trips.
2. Get some practical and respectable luggage.
When I was in college and law school, I was the guy who traveled with that dirty gym bag with a tree- and stump-removal service logo printed on it. Once that first legal job comes through, it's time to get new luggage.
Lawyers' travel plans often are unpredictable. Despite the fact that a new lawyer carefully plans the trip to allow time to check into the hotel and drop off bags, he inevitably will end up delayed, requiring him to go directly from the airport to the courthouse or client's office. He should not embarrass himself by carrying something that suggests he is a well-dressed stump removal representative.
Second, that crummy rolling backpack from law school probably won't keep business attire in reasonable traveling shape. I'm fiscally conservative (read: cheap) and still found nice luggage that was not terribly expensive, holds two suits and lawyerly accompaniments comfortably and pretty wrinkle-free, and fits nicely in the overhead bins. Speaking of overhead bins ...
3. Learn to carry on.
When traveling with senior lawyers, odds are high that they will not be checking bags. It will make for an uncomfortable 25 minutes while the traveling party feigns patience as the junior lawyer retrieves his bag from the baggage claim -- if it made it on the plane. Airlines lose checked-in bags, often at inopportune times. The odds are high that the hapless new lawyer will have packed business attire in that missing luggage. No one will feel sorry for him when he shows up to the big meeting in a powder blue, snug-fitting tuxedo because that was the only thing the Newark airport kiosk had in his size. Another key rule: Never, ever check important documents.
4. Pack heavy.
If the trip is scheduled for one night, pack for two. If the plan is to stay for two nights, pack for three. Although the recent law grad is now a fancy lawyer, she is in the customer service business. Clients, judges and/or Mother Nature might need her to stay another night, and her answer needs to be "No problem." This will happen more often that one might think. Steam cleaning once-worn socks with the hotel iron or washing nylons in the hotel sink is so college.
5. Get organized.
Once the wheels leave the ground, logistics are (or should be) the problem of the most junior person on the trip, who needs to add value not only to the case but also to the trip. Know the address of the hotel, client's office and courthouse, and have directions to get there. Use that fancy GPS on the iPhone or Blackberry to generate point-to-point directions. For bonus points, download a few apps for finding good restaurants within walking distance. Be the person that can pull directions to the nearest sushi joint. To ensure an invitation on the next trip, don't tell the partners how you did it.
6. Plan ahead.
Be careful about working on the plane. Most firms have policies that strongly encourage attorneys to work while in transit. Follow them, but be careful. Plane people can be a nosy lot. I take generic work with me on the plane, such as case law, law review articles, motions that have already been filed and are therefore public, etc. I don't review anything that is not public or that is confidential or privileged. Plan ahead with appropriate work to fill that long flight.
7. Remember that time is money.
Identify travel conveniences that are cost-neutral (or better) for the client. On business trips, a lawyer's time is her client's money. Some things that a new lawyer wouldn't splurge for on her own dime might make sense for the client's bottom line. Take parking: On an overnight trip, some airport valet services are only $5-10 more than short-term parking. Saving 15 minutes on each end of the trip provides a significant cost savings for the client. The same is true with the hotel. If that nice hotel next to the client's office is an extra $25-50 per night over that budget joint on the outskirts of town, the money saved on a taxi (and the lawyer's hourly rate getting there) means everyone wins. Apply the same math to nonstop flights and choosing a rental car or a taxi.
7. Enjoy the city.
Tack a day (or a weekend) on the back end. If that fancy trip is to Detroit in February, come back when business is finished. But if a new lawyer is headed to New York City or Washington D.C., she should tack on an extra day to tour the city. She can spend her own money for an extra night's room and board and scout out a potential future vacation destination.
Kip Mendrygal is a senior associate with Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell in Dallas. The opinions and statements in this column are his own.