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For most people, their involvement with lawyers will be very limited - possibly only in relation to buying a property or getting a will made. These are generally services where there will be a single fixed price, relatively low, and where (unless something goes wrong) the client will have no idea what level of service they should expect in return for what they are paying. Moreover, they will come away with something - a will, or a house - in return for their money. Most other legal services are intangibles, they take time and cost a relatively large sum in proportion to a client's income. In other words, you can't really see what you got for your money. If you spend £10k on a wedding, then you get the dress, the ride in the smart car, the nice food, the great party, etc. etc.. If you go to a plumber you get a working central heating system or a leak stopped. If you go to a solicitor to recover a debt, or compensation for some tort, or a divorce settlement, then you only get what you should have had in the first place without the hassle. So what have you paid for? Few people are philosophical enough say "Peace of mind" or "Support through a difficult time". I increasingly think that solicitors could do a lot worse than publish their accounts on their websites detailing the actual costs of running their business. That would put their charges into perspective.