"Shoot, Move & Communicate" En Route To The ABA Annual Meeting

Years ago, during a brief foray in the army, we employed a pretty simple job description: shoot, move, and communicate. This same axiom is an apt summary of our core mission as lawyers: win the case, go where the action is, and keep in contact -- both with clients and the public.

The old job summary resurfaced this week as I was yet again on the road, this time to the ABA Annual Meeting in Chicago. This trip, however, deviated from the norm. Rather than fly, I decided to travel Old School: Amtrak's California Zephyr from San Francisco to Chicago. It had been awhile since I'd been on a long-distance train trek and I was no longer sure what to expect, especially since the world does not pause while I take two and a half days to cover the same distance as a four-hour flight.

It turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. The rail cars now have electrical outlets galore, eliminating the major concern of work/travel: juice for your gadgets (legal Paladins know what I'm talking about). There's also space to spread out and work alongside views to reacquaint you with the bounty of the land. And you have time -- lots of it -- to both work and savor the journey.

Thus, armed with the usual tools of a road warrior -- netbook computer, high-speed wireless data card, compact power strip, and cell phone/pda/blackberry -- I was able to stay connected to the office, review and post a blog entry about a recent eminent domain opinion, prepare for an upcoming oral argument in the Hawaii Supreme Court, email and telephone colleagues in the State and Local Government Law Section's Condemnation Law Committee, keep abreast on the latest from the courts and other law bloggers, and stay in touch with clients and potential clients. Despite passing through some very remote territory rarely did I lose signal. And when I did, it was in places such as the Sierra Nevada and the Rockies where anyone would be foolish to elect work over scenery.

I should not neglect to mention Amtrak's luggage restrictions make hash of the airlines' outrageous limitations: each passenger may check in three bags and carry on an additional three plus a computer/brief case.  

"Shoot, move, and communicate" during air travel is often more workable in theory than in practice. The train, in comparison, is travel/work heaven. If you have time, the rolling vistas of our fine country provide a magnificent backdrop to what work we also must do.