Sign of the Times -- Robert Zarco Abandons Extravagant Travel Policy

Hi folks!

So overall it was a pretty good football weekend, no?

Not to get all Iqbal-centric on a bright Monday morning, but I see that the House Judiciary Committee will be holding hearings this week on the dreadfully imprecise Iqbal pleading standard.

It's about time, I say.

I guess now that the folks in DC fixed health care, ended our wars, and restored our shattered economy they can get on to some important legislation for a change.

Vanessa Blum has a nice overview in today's DBR regarding law firms and how managing partners see the upcoming year.

Naturally, no one wants to say -- "it sucks, the clients are not paying, the work is drying up, the costs are out of control, and this year looks worse than last year."

So we hear lots of blather about energy-efficient lightbulbs, trimming fancy dinners and signing megabuck leases as a way to cut costs.

But then I came across this quote from the very wealthy and successful Bob Zarco:

Even Miami franchise law attorney Robert Zarco, a multimillionaire known for his extravagant fashion taste, said he reined in travel and entertainment spending at the 11-lawyer Zarco Einhorn Salkowski & Brito.

“I’m just being a little more cautious,” he said. “We used to stay in the absolute nicest hotels. We used to rent the most luxurious vehicles and eat in absolutely the most expensive restaurants.”

You're not kidding.

Just last year Bob was featured in a Herald article that focused on his high-flying travel expenditures:

Even so, the frequent traveler does not leave home lightly. He insists on five-star accommodations even when clients won't pay for it, making up the difference out of his own pocket.

"When I travel I am leaving my family, I am leaving the comforts of my home to work for someone else, " he said. "I live in a very nice home. I live very comfortably."

So when he's on the road, he tends to sleep in a Peninsula or a Ritz-Carlton, two of the country's priciest hotel chains. He's such a loyal customer that one Peninsula keeps sheets for him embroidered with "RZ."

Holy hail, if Zarco has been forced to endure a night's rest without his personally monogrammed sheets when he stays at the Peninsula, what is the world coming to?

I mean, what's next -- having to forgo the shrimp appetizer before the afternoon deposition? That's just unacceptable.

Seriously, what other indignities can a man be expected to endure?