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Publishing hourly rates is meaningless.

My hourly rate is sometimes higher (but usually lower) than my opponents but my costs are, in the majority of cases, lower. There are numerous, sometimes complex, reasons for this. Without an understanding of, or experience in, legal practise, people would never get their head around it.

The above is an example of why hourly rates are not helpful.

You cannot give any meaningful (what the final costs are likely to be) costs estimate until after you have taken instructions from the client, seen the defence, and all the disclosure.

There is no point in demanding law firm's publish prices because they will always be revised.

And what about all the add-ons/the peripheral charges which are not published and you do not find out until you try and pay. These charges can be quite substantial.

"Cultural resistance" is complete nonesense. There are numerous practical (and genuine) reasons why it cannot be published upfront.