What you won’t get from a conscientious solo/small firm:

I found this article about the legal bill to Larry Birkhead’s custody fight for Anna Nicole Smith’s daughter. Here’s the essential part of the post:

Opri’s bill serves as a template for what lawyers shouldn’t do when invoicing clients. The bill includes multiple, extravagently priced meals that Opri shared with other lawyers, where Birkhead wasn’t even present. And while presumably, Opri and her colleagues at least talked about Birkhead’s case at these meetings, most clients will wonder how much business is really discussed in the course of a fancy dinner.

Compare this to my own billing practices as I described them here. It is a fallacy to believe that you automatically get higher quality representation with higher fees. What higher fees often mean is higher overhead and inflated billing practices. Opri’s bill to Birkhead is a perfect case in point.