Anecdata, but I spent about $30K in attorney and court fees during my divorce, and I got a reduced hourly rate and retainer because I was buddies with a guy tha

Anecdata, but I spent about $30K in attorney and court fees during my divorce, and I got a reduced hourly rate and retainer because I was buddies with a guy that clerked for him. It definitely didn't feel like a bargain, but so much of what you are paying for is the knowledge of what needs to be filled, when, maintaining the case docket, serving discovery, filing motions, etc. and all of these can be incredibly puzzling for someone not familiar with proceedings of the court.