"They need a lawyer. And they need to stop spending time searching, and get on with resolving.
So a lot of claims from lawyers that they operate in a free market are really not true. They mistake what are basically extortion/price gouging rates for free market pricing."
It's interesting because the same fundamental problem is true of health care in the U.S.
It's essentially, "they need a doctor. And they need to stop spending time searching, and get on with not dying"
The market dynamics and model are entirely different with these sorts of emergency industries. It's almost always "first available" and not "best cost". Even with shopping around (when the luxury is available) the decision is perceived quality first, cost second (or lower).
There are both things that can be dealt with through a bit of planning. I.e. determine a pool of potential lawyers you will use and in the same regard determine a pool of potential hospitals/doctors you want to use. Then if you need one, you've done the leg work and know where to go.
Depends, this might work for some common cases, but there are lots of different kinds of lawyers just like different kinds of doctors.
The lawyer I use for business is entirely different than the one I might use to defend against a murder charge is entirely different from defending against a traffic ticket is entirely different to sue on a trademark case is entirely different from suing somebody for slashing my tires, etc.
So to answer your own question, when you are sick, need legal help, or stuck by the side of the road, do you comparison shop for best price or do you go to first available?
Right, and the comparison is usually not over price, but perceived quality. The best example for doctors is elective plastic surgery. Do you get a boob job from the cheapest or the best? The glut of expensive surgeons in the L.A. area indicates cost is not a major factor.
For lawyers it might be a lawsuit. Do you go with the cheapest lawyer? Most people go with who they think is most likely to win the case (or net the most money from the suit).
> The glut of expensive surgeons in the L.A. area indicates cost is not a major factor.
Unless you're also going to argue that the large number of expensive cars in LA "indicates that cost is not a major factor" for cars. (The same can be said for handbags.)
Never confuse what rich folk will pay for luxuries with real world prices.
It's interesting because the same fundamental problem is true of health care in the U.S.
It's essentially, "they need a doctor. And they need to stop spending time searching, and get on with not dying"
The market dynamics and model are entirely different with these sorts of emergency industries. It's almost always "first available" and not "best cost". Even with shopping around (when the luxury is available) the decision is perceived quality first, cost second (or lower).